Is Hearing or Vision Loss Considered a Catastrophic Injury?

Whether from glass entering the eye in a car accident or a traumatic brain injury that causes vision or hearing loss, the consequences can be life-changing. Losing your eyesight or hearing can be one of the most frightening things to happen to someone who is the victim of a violent accident. Even partial blindness or deafness can cause severe disruption to everyday life, but is it considered a catastrophic injury? For most intents and purposes, yes.

Why Sensory Loss is a Catastrophic Injury

The term “catastrophic injury” is used to describe a variety of injuries that cause life-changing or permanent disruption to everyday life. Even in situations of moderate vision or hearing loss, your life will likely be forever altered. Therefore, these injuries are considered catastrophic, even when there may be some “cure” or remedy such as assistive hearing devices.

Correctly Identify Your Injuries

When filing for compensation, it is essential to state the injuries you sustained for what they are. If it is not a stretch to say that you suffered a catastrophic injury, it’s crucial that you define these injuries as catastrophic in your claim. To receive full compensation for your injuries, it is vital that you not downplay your injuries in your initial claims.

Insurance companies often try to downplay injuries and the harm caused to defeat a claim in court. They may argue that hearing or vision loss is more of an inconvenience than an injury. They will overlook the hardships that the plaintiff may face due to the injuries, and they will conveniently ignore their client’s involvement in causing the loss.

Some Hardships Caused by Sensory Loss:

• Inability to hold or find employment.
• Loss of ability to drive.
• Chronic pain caused by physical complications.
• Depression caused by life-changing events.
• Loss of or lessened enjoyment of life.

Calculating Damages

An experienced personal injury lawyer will look well beyond economic damages or those that can be tracked with bills and receipts. The attorney will consider non-economic losses, which cannot be associated with direct concrete costs. The most widely recognized non-economic damage is “pain and suffering,” due to the defendant’s negligent actions.

In hearing and vision loss cases, non-economic damages play a significant role in “making the plaintiff whole.” Sensory impairment can lead to an overwhelming feeling of loss due to learning to live with a new disability, and these hardships do not have a specific bill or price. The injuries are, however, damaging to the wellbeing of the plaintiff and cause life-long disruption.

Contact a Personal Injury Attorney

At Saladino & Schaaf, our personal injury attorneys have over 75 years of combined experience representing Kentuckians involved in personal injury accidents. Contact one of our attorneys today to discuss your case at 270-444-0406 (Paducah) / 270-753-1529 (Murray) or contact us online for a free case evaluation.