Any workplace accident which results in a permanent and debilitating injury will inevitably have a massive impact not just on your professional life, but on your personal life as well. That said, few kinds of injuries are more universally devastating than those that result in you losing your ability to see or hear. Even a minor change in your sensory ability could render you unable to ever go back to your old job or hold any other job in the future.
In a situation like this, seeking full and fair workers’ compensation benefits can be especially vital, as can having help from a dependable workers’ comp attorney with pursuing the benefits you deserve. If you are dealing with any kind of problem with your ears or eyes after a workplace injury or illness, contacting a Reno workplace hearing and vision loss lawyer should be among your top priorities.
Proving Hearing or Vision Loss Is Work-Related
Demonstrating that an injury that resulted in a substantial loss of hearing or vision was work-related can be relatively easy in some situations and extremely complicated in others. For acute injuries that happen in a matter of moments as a result of a single traumatic accident, it can be sufficient just to show the injured person was performing a work-related task or otherwise exposed to standard working conditions when their injury occurred.
However, if workplace hearing or vision loss in Reno happens gradually over the course of several years or decades, proving that the loss in question stemmed primarily from dangerous working conditions can be much more challenging. Typically, cases like this require extensive evidence from multiple sources, not to mention support from an experienced attorney to build a strong case.
How Is Permanent Disability Rated in Workers’ Comp Claims?
Even if a workers’ comp insurer agrees that a claimant’s hearing or vision loss is work-related, there may still be some disagreement about how severe the loss in question is and how much it impacts the claimant’s ability to work. Under Nevada state law, anyone who suffers a workplace injury resulting in total blindness in both eyes is automatically considered permanently disabled for the purpose of workers’ comp benefits.
If someone has just lost some or most of their vision, or if they have just suffered hearing loss, there will typically be a much more complex calculation of what the injury’s disability rating is and what the value of permanent partial disability benefits should be based on that rating. This is another area of the case process where support from a skilled lawyer can be especially crucial during a workplace hearing or vision loss claim in Reno.
Consider Working With a Reno Workplace Hearing and Vision Loss Attorney
Workers’ compensation can be a vital source of financial support if you have lost your hearing or sight through a work-related accident or illness. At the same time, though, obtaining the benefits you deserve through workers’ comp can be very difficult if you are not intimately familiar with how state law approaches cases like yours, as well as how insurance companies may try to fight against the claim you file with them.
Assistance from a Reno workplace hearing and vision loss injury lawyer can be all but essential to achieving the best possible case result while minimizing unnecessary stress for yourself and your loved ones. Call Shook & Stone today to learn more.
