A Guide To Making A Personal Injury Claim For Tinnitus After A Car Accident

By Daniel Picard. Last Updated 27th June 2022. Welcome to our guide to claiming compensation for tinnitus after a car accident. Were you involved in a road traffic incident that was caused by a negligent third-party? Did you suffer tinnitus and/or vertigo after a car accident as a result? If so, you could be entitled to compensation for such harm inflicted upon you. Here at Legal Helpline, we could provide a free assessment of your unique circumstances and connect you with a knowledgeable personal injury solicitor from our expert panel.

Throughout this guide will be useful information about how you could receive compensation from a tinnitus claim, alongside advice about what steps you could take to help strengthen your case. When you are ready to begin your claim, a friendly adviser will be waiting to discuss your unique circumstances with you. Your free, no-obligation consultation is just a phone call away, so call us on 0333 000 0729 or consider the contact methods at the bottom of this guide.

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A Guide To Making A Tinnitus After A Car Accident Compensation Claim

Tinnitus after a car accident

Tinnitus after a car accident

A road traffic accident could be a traumatic experience, especially if those involved are made to suffer a physical and/or psychological injury as a result. While we commonly associate physical injuries with road traffic accidents, such as whiplash and fractures, in some cases it is possible to experience a condition formally known as Tinnitus. As this guide will further explain, it is possible to receive compensation for a tinnitus injury if the cause was an accident resulting from negligence.

Over time, a victim could experience various severities of hearing loss after a car accident as a result of tinnitus. However, if these symptoms have a direct impact on your ability to work, you could claim compensation for such harm. For more information about how this is possible, please continue reading this guide. Alternatively, you can call our advisors who could help you understand how to claim for tinnitus after a car accident.

What Is Tinnitus?

There are a number of different injuries a person could suffer following a car accident. One of these injuries is tinnitus. A name for hearing noises not caused by an outside source, this type of injury is commonly recognised as a high-pitched ringing, humming or buzzing sound in an individual’s ears. You may be wondering “How long does tinnitus last after whiplash?” or “How long does tinnitus last after a head injury?”. In some cases, these symptoms could be permanent. Tinnitus can present itself in two forms: either as intermittent or continuous. In severe cases of tinnitus, it can become most prominent in quieter environments, such as when a person is in a quiet room or trying to sleep. Further from this, rarer cases of tinnitus reflect sounds beating in sync with the individual’s pulse, formally known as pulsatile or heart tinnitus.

According to the British Tinnitus Association (BTA), it is believed that 1 in 8 people (13.2% of the population) in the UK are living with persistent tinnitus.

This type of injury can result from a number of different causations, ranging from blockages and infections to exposure to excessive noise; though the most common cause is exposure. There is extensive research that highlights a link between this condition and ear infections, diabetes or loss of hearing entirely. It should be noted tinnitus is not the cause itself as many people who suffer from this condition do not experience any further damage to their hearing. However, it is possible for some people to develop hyperacusis or find themselves sensitive to sound.

If you are experiencing hearing loss or tinnitus after a car accident, then you could make a claim for compensation. Call our advisers today to discuss your options further.

What Are The Symptoms Of Tinnitus Caused By A Car Accident?

If you are concerned that you may be suffering from tinnitus, there are a number of sounds that you can check for. These include:

  • Ringing
  • Whooshing
  • Hissing
  • Humming
  • Ringing
  • Music/singing

You may hear these sounds in one or both of your ears, but it is also possible to hear these tinnitus symptoms in your head too. While these sounds may disappear and reappear, some people may experience these symptoms continuously for an extended period of time. In rare cases, a person could also experience dizziness, pain or drainage from the ear itself. However, such symptoms could reflect other similar conditions, such as high blood pressure, thyroid and other such diseases. In such cases, it is important to seek medical advice from a doctor or GP in order to establish what condition this could be. Even if you are experiencing hearing loss after a car accident, you should seek medical attention immediately.

For more information about how to spot early signs of tinnitus, read this NHS article on the condition. For free legal advice on tinnitus after a car accident, call our advisors, available 24/7.

Managing And Treating Tinnitus

It can be quite difficult to treat cases of tinnitus, however, there are ways in which you can ease the pain. For example, you could:

  • Adopt relaxing breathing techniques, such as deep breathing or yoga.
  • Improve sleep: Implementing a sleep routine or cutting down on your caffeine intake can help with your sleeping pattern.
  • Support groups: By joining a support group, you could gain advice and guidance from others who also suffer from tinnitus.

The NHS further advises those with this condition to avoid total silence as this could make matters worse. Instead, you should listen to soft music or sounds associated with sound therapy to ease the intensity of the tinnitus and distract you from it. Furthermore, you should also avoid putting too much focus on it as this could again make matters worse.

There are some treatments available to those who live with the condition. However, if it is incurable or cannot be treated, a medical professional may recommend certain types of therapy, such as counselling, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) or even retraining therapy. You could receive tinnitus treatments, such as retaining therapy, through the NHS if your condition is severe.

You should listen to a medical professional when it comes to your health and it’s best to speak to legal professionals about making a claim for tinnitus after a car accident. Our advisors could help if you call on the number at the top of the page.

How Tinnitus Could Be Caused By A Car Accident?

You may have found this guide with various questions in mind, such as “Can tinnitus be caused by a car accident?” and “Can whiplash cause ringing in your ears?”. A road traffic accident claim could be pursued if you were made to suffer tinnitus after a collision. This type of damage could be caused by any form of excessive noise, such as the airbag as it deploys, sudden movement of the head or violent contact between the airbag and your head-on collision. This is commonly referred to as

Whether you are experiencing intermittent or permanent tinnitus after whiplash, you could be entitled to compensation. To discuss your potential personal injury claim for moderate tinnitus compensation or permanent tinnitus after whiplash, call us today.

How Tinnitus Could Be Caused By Head Injuries

Although this condition can arise from a wide range of underlying causations, such as infections, oxidative stress or neurological damage, the Northern Brain Injury Association (NBIA) states that the most common causes of such a condition are head injuries and noise-induced hearing loss.

For many people, it is possible for effects to improve with treatment. This could be through identifying the underlying cause, reducing the noise(s) associated with the condition and slowly healing the ear back to its original state.

However, it is possible for tinnitus to surface from other causes, such as:

  • Old age/age-related hearing loss
  • Build-up of earwax
  • Infection
  • Méniére’s disease
  • Inner ear damage (E.g. exposure to loud noise)
  • Otosclerosis

You can find more information about these causations here.

If you need free legal advice on suffering tinnitus after a car accident, send a message to our advisors through our live chat.

How To Prove Liability For Tinnitus Caused By A Car Accident

As with many road traffic accident claims there are certain aspects that must be proven in order to establish liability for a successful tinnitus claim payout. Firstly, it must be established that the cause of your accident was the negligence of another party. This could be through reckless actions on the road, such as texting while driving or speeding. In some cases, the defendant may admit liability. However, some cases may not always be this simple. Therefore, it is important to retain any dashcam footage of the accident so that it can be used as evidence to support your claim.

Further from this, if there were any witnesses at the scene of the accident you should gather their contact details. While you cannot make or gather a statement yourself, your personal injury lawyer will need to contact them at a later stage. You should also take photographic evidence of the incident, your injuries and any further damage before the wreckage is cleared.

Finally, in order to be eligible for tinnitus compensation, you will need to provide medical evidence that shows you were made to suffer as a result of this accident. Therefore, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible, regardless of how minor your injuries may seem. By receiving treatment, your injuries will be documented, and this will be used as supporting evidence for your personal injury claim. Even if your symptoms take a couple of days to appear, you should still seek medical treatment.

There will be a personal injury claims time limit on how long you can leave your claim for. Typically, this is 3 years from when the accident occurred or, in some cases, from the date a psychological injury is diagnosed. It is possible to make a claim outside of this restriction in certain circumstances. For example, if a child is made to suffer from an accident, they will have from their 18th birthday to their 21st birthday to conduct a claim on their own accord.

Ringing In Ears After A Car Accident – Compensation Calculator

If your ears are ringing after a car accident, then this could be a sign of tinnitus. After a car accident, you may experience sounds such as a ringing, roaring or whooshing in your ears. These symptoms may subside, or they may be permanent. Regardless of how long they last, you could be compensated for these symptoms. Compensation for tinnitus after a car accident can vary depending on how severe your tinnitus is. The amount you receive for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries is called general damages.

Due to the different levels of tinnitus, you could experience, legal professionals will often consult various resources to aid them in their calculations. For instance, there is a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). Within the JCG, there are guide figures associated with many injuries – including hearing loss and tinnitus. We have included some examples from the latest edition (2022) of the JCG in the table below.

InjurySeverityAmountInformation
Deafness/TinnitusTotal Deafness And Loss Of Speech£109,650 to £140,660In these cases, such injuries may arise from early stages of deafness. For example, this could be known as rubella infection. As a result, a condition of this nature could affect the overall development of normal speech.
Deafness/TinnitusTotal Deafness£90,750 to £109,650While the lower end of this particular bracket is applicable to cases which involve either no speech deficit or tinnitus, the higher is appropriate to cases which involve both of said conditions.
Deafness/TinnitusTotal Loss Of Hearing In One Ear£31,310 to £45,540A total loss of hearing in one ear will be the result of such associated problems (i.e. tinnitus, headaches or dizziness).
Deafness/TinnitusPartial Hearing Loss And/Or Tinnitus£29,710 to £45,540This broad category seeks to encompass a bulk of cases which involve deafness. This is usually the result of exposure to noise (e.g. at work) over a prolonged period of time. The settlement amount provided will be awarded to severe cases of tinnitus and noise-induced hearing loss (or ‘NIHL’).
Neck InjuriesSevereIn the region of £148,330The type of neck injury associated with this bracket will include incomplete paraplegia or lead to a severe case of spastic quadriparesis. In such circumstances, the injured person will have little or no movement in their neck even though they are required to wear a collar for 24 hours a day over several years.
Neck InjuriesModerate£24,990 to £38,490A moderate neck injury is defined by this bracket as a dislocation or fracture which results in immediate symptoms of severe pain. The injured person(s) will require spinal fusion in order to necessitate recovery.
Neck InjuriesMinor£4,350 to £7,890A full recovery from a minor neck injury will take place over a one to two-year period. In addition minor injuries, this bracket will also include exacerbation injuries and cases of short-term acceleration. Again, it will be possible to fully recover from these conditions within one to two-years.
Brain DamageVery Severe Brain Damage£282,010 to £403,990The very top of this bracket will look to conditions which reflect an inability to follow basic commands. The person in question will also struggle to open their eyes, return back to regular sleep, walking patterns and postural reflex movement. Further from this, there will be little (if not any) response to the environment surrounding the person in question, along with no function in language.
Brain DamageModerately Severe Brain Damage£219,070 to £282,010The person in question will be left very seriously disabled from such an injury. The injured person will therefore require substantial dependence on others, along with professional care around the clock. In addition to this, there may be several different types of physical disabilities which result from moderately severe brain damage, such as limb paralysis.
Brain DamageModerate Brain Damage£150,110 to £219,070There are various symptoms which distinguish this type of injury, including intellectual deficit, impairment of speech/senses and a noticeable personality change. This injury will induce risk to epilepsy and leave the victim with no prospect of employment.

Whilst these figures may give you a rough idea as to the potential value of a general damages payment, it will not be completely accurate. Your specific circumstances will need to be accounted for before your claim can be properly assessed. Get in touch with our advisors today, and we can take you through the process.

Examples Of Additional Damages You Could Claim

Alongside the General Damages mentioned above, your final monetary value will also include Special Damages. These are aspects of personal injury claims which are quantifiable, such as medical fees, travel costs and loss of earnings as a result of your condition.

No Win No Fee Claims For Tinnitus After A Car Accident

Our panel of experts offers their time and services on a No Win No Fee basis. This financial agreement sets out the terms in which your legal representative will receive payment at the end of your claim. If successful, a small percentage will be deducted from the final monetary value as a “Success Fee”. This is capped at a maximum of 25% but you will discuss the exact percentage with your solicitor prior to beginning your claim.

The crucial part of a No Win No Fee agreement, however, is that you will not be held accountable for your solicitor’s fees. Also known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA), this means you won’t have to worry about paying for your solicitor’s services if they are unable to secure compensation on your behalf.

For more information about this process, please contact our team of advisors today to hear more about our No Win No Fee guarantee.

Why Choose Legal Helpline For Your Claim?

Here at Legal Helpline, our panel of experienced solicitors possess the knowledge and capabilities to represent your claim. With up to thirty years’ experience in conducting accident claims on behalf of victims of third-party negligence, our panel is well-versed in personal injury law.

You won’t have to feel restricted to local solicitors either. As a nationwide service, Legal Helpline can provide reliable, expert services across the country to help those in search of legal aid. Let our panel help you claim compensation for tinnitus after a car accident.

Talk To Legal Helpline

To begin the personal injury claims process, call out team today on 0333 000 0729. Our team are dedicated to helping victims of third-party negligence receive quality, impartial advice. You can also click here to begin your online enquiry.

Resources To Support This Article

Tinnitus Advice
Information and advice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about tinnitus injuries.

British Tinnitus Association
The British Tinnitus Association website includes details about advice, support groups and other such information.

You can learn more about car accident claims below:

Tinnitus After a Car Accident FAQs

How much compensation do you get for tinnitus?

How much compensation you get for tinnitus can vary. You may have severe injuries which could be compensated highly, but minimal consequential financial loss to recover. It really depends on your individual circumstances. Give our advisors a call for a free estimation.

Is tinnitus a symptom of brain injury?

According to the NHS, tinnitus could be a symptom of post-concussion syndrome after a head injury. It may be best to call 111 or visit a medical professional if you’re concerned. You may also want to do so if you’re suffering from tinnitus after a car accident.

Article by Hollie