As you grow older, your vision and hearing may start to deteriorate, and we mostly anticipate the adjustments we have to make for this gradual decline. However, if you suffer an injury that results in sudden vision and hearing loss, you may be ill-equipped to handle the impact this loss will have on your financial health—and your life, in general.
If your vision or hearing loss injury occurred at work, in a maritime accident, a traumatic brain injury, or via an accident caused by another party, a vision and hearing loss injury lawyer in NY from Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. will help you understand your legal options for receiving compensation to cover your economic damages.
Call Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. today at (516) 932-0400 for a free legal consultation.
- Causes of Vision and Hearing Loss
- Types of Vision and Hearing Loss Injuries
- Workers’ Compensation Vision and Hearing Injuries
- Establishing Liability in a Third-Party Claim
- Negotiating With the Insurance Company
- Call a Vision and Hearing Loss Injury Lawyer Today
Causes of Vision and Hearing Loss
Hearing and vision loss can introduce life-changing challenges. In many instances, the loss of such sensory functions result from an accident or condition caused by another person or party, in which case, you have the right to seek compensation for your losses. Consider the following examples:
Motor Vehicle Accidents
A motor vehicle collision can generate hearing vision and hearing loss in a variety of ways. If you experienced a blunt force blow to the head, you may have suffered a traumatic brain injury, which can lead to this type of loss—as can air-bag deployments and whiplash from the impact of the crash. Shards of glass and other debris that fly into the face can also cause blindness or permanent loss of vision.
Defective Products
Again, defective airbags can spontaneously rupture, sending shards of metal flying about the passenger compartment of a vehicle, causing vision and possibly hearing loss. Legal action has also been taken against manufacturers of defective eye drops and contact solutions, and other products whose defects cause head injuries or other injuries that result in vision and hearing loss.
Work Injuries
Accidents or conditions in the workplace, like consistent exposure to excessively loud sounds or to hazardous chemicals, can lead to hearing and vision loss, respectively. You can file a workers’ compensation claim to cover certain losses related to such a situation. However, if your injury was caused by a third party, like the manufacturer of a defective piece of equipment, you can seek compensation from that party for damages connected with your loss.
Medical Malpractice
Medical practitioners can make mistakes in surgery, administration of medicine, negligence leading to birth injury, or failing to diagnose a condition that may ultimately lead to a loss or compromising of your vision and hearing. In these cases, you can pursue compensation from the medical provider or facility responsible for this action.
For a free legal consultation with a Vision and Hearing Loss Injury lawyer serving New York, call (516) 932-0400
Types of Vision and Hearing Loss Injuries
When we talk about “vision and hearing loss,” we are talking about any of a wide range of visual and auditory problems. For example:
Common Eye Injuries
- Detached retina
- Exposure to chemicals in the face or eye
- Loss of visual acuity
- Blunt force trauma injury to the head
- Losing an eye or both eyes
- Complete vision loss
- Double vision
- Convergence insufficiency
- Sensitivity to light
- Slowness of eyes
- A foreign object, like metal, in the eye
- Disfigurement of the eyelid(s)
Common Ear/Hearing Injuries
- Cochlear damage
- Bleeding in the ear canal
- Lesions in the temporal lobe
- Middle ear injury
- Blunt force trauma to the head
- Eardrum punctured by a foreign object
- Disfigurement of the ear(s)
New York Vision and Hearing Loss Injury Lawyer Near Me (516) 932-0400
Workers’ Compensation Vision and Hearing Injuries
If the damage to your vision or hearing occurred on the job, you can file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits will cover your medical bills, medical, care, assistive devices, and so on. It does not matter whether you were at fault for the injury, your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance should cover these expenses. It will not, however, compensate you for pain and suffering, nor can you sue your employer for this type of injury and damages.
However, if a third party, perhaps another contractor or the manufacturer of a defective tool or piece of machinery is responsible for your vision or hearing injury, you can assert your right to compensation from these parties. A vision and hearing loss injury lawyer from Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. can provide you with strong representation with such an effort.
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Establishing Liability in a Third-Party Claim
If another party is responsible for your injury, you can pursue compensation from them. As the plaintiff, you are required by tort law to prove that:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care to keep you from injury
- The defendant breached their duty of care
- The defendant’s violation of this duty caused the accident that caused your injury
- You suffered damages—physical, emotional, and economic as a result
A vision and hearing loss injury lawyer from Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. will investigate your accident to find the evidence to support the above claims. Subject to the unique circumstances of your case, we will also enlist the aid of respected experts who can testify to the current and future losses you will face. They can talk about the cost of future and ongoing medical treatment and medical care, the economic impact your injury will have on your ability to work, and the emotional/psychological impact your injury will have on you.
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Negotiating With the Insurance Company
Our legal team will calculate your damages and present them to the defendant’s insurer. If they come back with a counteroffer, our lawyers will fight for top compensation. In the event that the insurance company refuses to agree to an appropriate settlement, we are able to file a lawsuit on your behalf. If a lawsuit and, ultimately, a trial, is necessary, a judge and jury will hear our arguments on your behalf and make a decision regarding what they consider a fair award for your injury and damages.
Call a Vision and Hearing Loss Injury Lawyer Today
Keep in mind that New York’s statute of limitations enforces a restricted time frame in which you can take legal action for your vision and hearing loss injury. For negligence resulting in personal injury, where the at-fault party is not a governmental entity or their agent(s), you have, subject to some potential exceptions, three years from the date of your accident to take action under New York Civil Practice Laws & Rules § 214. For medical malpractice, also subject to certain exceptions, in cases not involving a governmental entity, you have to commence a lawsuit within two and a half years from the date of the malpractice under New York Civil Practice Laws & Rules § 214-A.
Time can go quickly. It is also important to note, there are other time limits that apply to claims and litigation. Another very important consideration, in terms of gathering evidence and simply doing the very best possible job for you, the sooner you contact us, the greater our opportunity to win the best outcome for you. Do not miss out on your opportunity to collect compensation for your injury.
Call a vision and hearing loss injury lawyer in NY from Friedman & Simon, L.L.P. today for a free legal case review and consultation: (516) 932-0400.
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