St. Louis Hearing Loss Attorney

It takes all of our senses to fully interact with the world around us, including our crucial ability to hear. Hearing loss has a profound effect on quality of life, including causing social isolation, communication challenges, and depression. Without effective treatment, it may even lead to atrophy in some areas of the brain.

Unfortunately, hearing loss can be an occupational hazard in many industries or result from a single unexpected incident. While nothing erases the harm of hearing loss, you may have the right to compensation. Call the St. Louis hearing loss attorneys at Miller & Hine Attorneys at Law.

Why Choose Miller & Hine as Your Hearing Loss Attorneys In St. Louis?

Representation by Miller & Hine puts five decades of experience in Missouri injury law behind your case. With the injury victim advocates at Miller & Hine, your case has the following advantages:

• Personalized attention and a strategy based on the unique circumstances of your case
• Open communication and around-the-clock availability
• The dedicated attention of a St. Louis injury attorney devoted to your case, as well as the collaborative efforts of an entire legal team and staff
• Your best interests are our firm’s highest priority

We don’t charge upfront fees. Instead, after a free consultation, we use a contingency-based payment method, so we deduct our fee once you have your compensation in hand.

Common Causes of Occupational Hearing Loss

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warns that hearing loss is preventable, but permanent once it occurs. Sometimes hearing loss results from work-related exposures such as the following:

• Exposure to constant noise from machines, tools, and industrial engines during work shifts
• High-impact short-term noise exposure, such as from an explosion, gunfire, or high-decibel sirens
• Chemical exposures, such as to solvents and pesticides (ototoxic chemicals)

Construction work, manufacturing, agricultural work, entertainment venue work, law enforcement training, and the military are all high-risk jobs for hearing loss. However, the use of protective equipment, reducing high-decibel noise in the workplace, and other preventative measures decreases the likelihood of hearing damage.

Recognizing the Symptoms of Hearing Loss

Occupational noise is a leading cause of hearing damage, responsible for about 16% of adults with disabling hearing loss. Because occupational hearing loss occurs gradually, it’s crucial to recognize the following symptoms:

• Having difficulty understanding when others speak
• Feeling that others are mumbling
• Ringing or buzzing sounds in the ears
• Ear pain
• Difficulty concentrating
• Sleep disorders
• Turning the volume up on devices

Sometimes hearing damage also causes feelings of pressure in the ears, fluid leaking from the ears, and social withdrawal over time.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Hearing Loss In St. Louis

Missouri workers’ compensation covers two types of occupational hearing loss: damage from long-term exposure and damage from sudden loud noises, such as a workplace explosion or equipment malfunction. A successful workers’ compensation claim not only covers your medical costs and assistive equipment, such as hearing aids, but also provides compensation for two-thirds of your typical income for lost earnings. Most claims are resolved through a settlement from workers’ compensation insurance.

In some cases, a lawsuit against the manufacturer of defective or dangerously high-decibel equipment, or against a negligent contractor, could result in additional compensation.

Call the St. Louis Hearing Loss Attorneys

Workers’ compensation insurers are private companies that exist to make profits, meaning their goals conflict with yours. A workers’ compensation case or lawsuit against the manufacturer of defective equipment can quickly become a complex legal challenge. Call Miller & Hine or reach out to our firm online for experienced representation that achieves exceptional results for clients.