What is Traumatic Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a debilitating condition which causes a person to hear sounds in the ear when no sound is actually present. For those suffering from tinnitus, the ringing never goes away. While tinnitus has many causes, it is common for victims of car accidents, workplace accidents, slip and fall accidents and other accidents involving trauma to the head and neck to develop tinnitus either immediately or several weeks after an accident.

At the Law Office of Alvin F. de Levie, we specialize in handling injury claims involving tinnitus and we have substantial experience fighting for clients suffering from traumatic tinnitus throughout Pennsylvania. We will be going to Mediation shortly in a serious tinnitus case in Philadelphia, and we have other tinnitus cases pending in State College and Lewistown.

What is Tinnitus?

The Hershey Medical Center describes tinnitus as sounds being heard in the ear when no sound is present. Tinnitus is typically associated with a ringing sound, but can vary from tonal and bell-like sounds to roaring, blowing, whistling, whizzing or sizzling sounds. In rare cases, the tinnitus may sound like distant voices or radio signals. The sound can be soft, loud, or alternate between the two. It may come and go randomly, appear rhythmically or, for many of those suffering from tinnitus, remain constant.

Regardless of the type, volume or consistency of the sound, tinnitus is divided into three categories:

Subjective Tinnitus: The most typical form of tinnitus, where sound is heard only by the affected person. This is the most common form of tinnitus suffered by accident victims.

Objective Tinnitus: This type of tinnitus can be heard both by the affected person and others.

Pulsating Tinnitus: This type of tinnitus is caused by variations in blood pressure in the ear. The affected person typically hears a pulsing, rhythmic sound that beats with his or her pulse.

What Causes Tinnitus?

Objective and pulsating tinnitus tend to be caused by muscle spasms and vascular changes in the ear which develop after an accident.

Subjective tinnitus, however, has numerous causes, including:

-Noise trauma (i.e., explosions and other loud noises);

-Traumatic head injuries (i.e., whiplash injuries, skull fractures, closed head injuries)

-Traumatic brain injures; and

-Depression and other emotional issues/trauma.

It is common for victims of car accidents and construction site accidents to develop tinnitus either immediately or several weeks after an accident.

Treatment for Tinnitus

Tinnitus can be a debilitating condition. Sometimes, tinnitus goes hand-in-hand with partial or even total hearing loss in one or both ears. More often, however, the affected person lives with a constant ringing or other noise in his or her ear. The constant ringing can cause frustration and depression, as victims often lose the ability to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, such as a quiet moment alone or with a book. Sometimes, it becomes hard to engage in conversations or enjoy music if the ringing is too loud. A recent study highlighted by the Centers for Disease Control outlined how tinnitus can severely affect work performance and even put those in industrial settings at risk for further injuries.

Unfortunately, the few treatments available for tinnitus are mostly intended to help the affected person to either cope with the symptoms or to mask them as much as possible. There are a few medications, such as Alprazolam and Amitriptyline, which only serve to reduce symptoms, not eliminate them. These medications generally cause serious side-effects such as blurred vision, heart problems, and nausea. White noise machines and masking devices, which produce a continuous, low-level white noise into the ear, work to suppress tinnitus symptoms to some degree. However, white noise machines cannot be used at all times and masking devices can be uncomfortable. Neither treatment resolves the underlying tinnitus. For many victims, their tinnitus will stop only when their hearts stop beating.

Tinnitus Cases Require an Experienced Attorney

Despite its debilitating effects, tinnitus cases are complicated and require experienced counsel. Tinnitus is not very well understood by the medical community and the sound in a victim’s ears cannot be measured because it is often completely subjective. It is also difficult to prove causation, as the insurance company’s attorney will attempt to argue the tinnitus was caused by other factors, such as occupational noise. This is especially true of those who work in the industrial, construction and music industries. 

Further, as frustrating as tinnitus can be, most people learn to live with the symptoms over time out of necessity. This, along with the lack of visible symptoms and diagnostic tests that can show the injury to a jury or an insurance adjuster, make it easy to write-off a plaintiff’s claims.

You need an experienced attorney who knows how to present your claim to show not only that your tinnitus was caused by an accident, but also the deep impact it can have on your life. A good attorney can relate the often-private suffering of those affected by tinnitus.

If you or a loved one has suffered a traumatic accident and developed tinnitus as a result, please call our firm – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – at 844-777-2529 (Toll-Free) for a consultation. One of our team members will be in immediate contact with you. We maintain offices throughout Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, State College, Bellefonte and Lock Haven, and we are willing to meet any clients throughout the Commonwealth.