Hearing Loss Claims Solicitors

People who have suffered hearing loss, especially after they could hear for many years before this incident, can experience huge changes in their capabilities, relationships and overall quality of life:

• Joining and holding conversations, especially in busy and noisy spaces, is harder
• Music and television shows must be played louder, or watched with subtitles
• Isolation and social withdrawal can set in as social events are less accessible
• Commuting and travelling independently is more challenging and dangerous
• It may be impossible to continue in their current employment, making it harder to find a new career

Ultimately, hearing loss can profoundly limit a person’s independence in their day-to-day life, forcing them to rely on others as they adjust to their new circumstances. 

This can have a significant emotional toll, causing the person affected to feel isolated, angry and depressed. If the hearing damage was caused by an avoidable medical mistake, these feelings can become even stronger, making it harder for someone to move on from what happened.

While hearing loss compensation cannot turn back the clock and prevent your injury, it can go a long way in helping restore your confidence and independence.

Following a successful hearing loss claim, the compensation you receive can help cover a variety of costs, including:

• Hearing aids, cochlear implants or other restorative treatment
• Adaptations to your home or vehicles
• Care assistance at home or in the community
• Psychological therapy
• Transportation costs
• Sign language courses

At Gadsby Wicks, we will work closely with you and relevant medical experts to assess what your specific needs are due to your loss of hearing, and use this information to calculate a fitting amount of compensation to support you in the future.

Because compensation claims differ from case to case, it is impossible to accurately forecast the amount you can expect to receive without first speaking to specialist medical negligence solicitors.

Factors that may influence the value of compensation you are awarded following a successful claim include:

• Your age
• The extent of the loss of your hearing
• Your occupation and salary
• Whether you live alone or with others
• The day-to-day impact of your deafness

The same injury could result in very different amounts of compensation depending on the claimant’s circumstances. For example, a claimant who works in a call centre may lose their job due to their hearing loss, leading to a greater loss of earnings than someone whose role is less reliant on their ability to hear and communicate.

To accurately quantify the amount of compensation you deserve, we work with experts in audiovestibular medicine to determine the scale of your hearing loss, the impact that the medical oversight may have had, as well as the precise cause of your deafness.

Yes – like the majority of medical negligence claims, you have three years from the date you received substandard treatment or your Date of Knowledge to make your hearing loss claim.

There are exceptions to this rule: 

• If the claimant is under the age of 18, they have until their 21st birthday to start their claim
• If the claimant is considered mentally incapable, there is no time limit

In all circumstances, we advise you to reach out even if your three-year time limit has expired. Every claim is at the court’s discretion, so it may still be possible to pursue your case.

There is no definitive answer to this question – every claim is unique and the time it takes to reach a final settlement will depend on the specific nature and complexities of your case.

However, we typically expect a hearing loss claim to settle between two and five years from its start date. When you first speak to your chosen solicitor, they will provide a top-line estimate of how long your claim is likely to take.

At Gadsby Wicks, our clients never pay us a penny before or during the claims process. In most circumstances, we follow a Conditional Fee Agreement (also known as a No Win, No Fee Agreement).

This means we only get paid if we win your case – there is zero financial risk at any stage. Our fee is recovered from the compensation you receive, with a guarantee that you will keep at least 75% of the total settlement. This ensures you will never endure any financial losses throughout your case.

Check out our website if you want to know more about your available funding options.

Yes, you can claim for any hearing damage suffered during your medical treatment – you do not need to be profoundly deaf.