Can airbags cause tinnitus?

Car crashes are one of the leading causes of personal injury in the UK, accounting for hundreds of thousands of casualties each year. It is well known that some types of road user, such as motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists, are particularly vulnerable to injury, because they have little protection when an accident occurs.

However, due to the sheer number of cars on our roads, the majority of people who suffer personal injuries in road traffic accidents are car occupants. As a result, both car manufacturers and safety organisations have been working on improving safety features in our vehicles. One such feature is the airbag, something which now comes as standard in every car. It has undoubtedly saved many people from head injuries but could it be causing tinnitus?

Tinnitus
It is fairly common to come across people who have been in a car accident and who report symptoms of the hearing condition to their doctor. Usually, the noises they can hear are whistling or ringing in their ears, although tinnitus is certainly not confined to these sounds. Read more about the symptoms of tinnitus.

After a number of people reported that this hearing disorder occurred as a result of their airbag inflating, researchers from the British Medical Journal (BMJ) decided to investigate whether there was such a link. The researchers two hearing experts and a consultant took two case studies of people who appeared to be suffering from airbag-related hearing loss and ringing in the ears.

The first was a 38-year-old woman who was hit in the face by her airbag when she was involved in a low speed car accident. She immediately reported significant hearing loss in both ears together with tinnitus that whilst mild, was persistent. The hearing loss was more severe in the ear which was on the same side that the airbag hit her.

The second case study involved a 68-year-old man who may already have had some age-related hearing loss. However, he noticed a significant difference in his hearing as soon as his airbag inflated, reporting signs of tinnitus in both ears. It is not believed that the ringing in his ears was a passing phase, but was instead, a more permanent injury.

Whilst it is rare that airbags cause hearing loss or tinnitus, these cases suggest that it may be possible in some cases. The researchers suggest that the move towards airbags that inflate closer to the head could result in more people suffering hearing-related personal injuries in car accidents.

Tinnitus compensation
If you suffer tinnitus because of a car accident or for any other reason that was not your fault, you may be able to make a compensation claim. YouClaim is one of the leading claims services in the UK and helps hundreds of people to successfully claim personal injury compensation each year.

Our panel of personal injury solicitors includes specialists in industrial deafness and tinnitus who have extensive experience in dealing with hearing loss claims. You can be sure that the solicitor we assign to your case will offer first class representation.

If we believe that you are eligible for compensation, your case will be accepted on a no win, no fee basis. Our solicitors will take out an insurance policy to protect you in the event that your claim is successful so no matter what the outcome of your claim, you don't have to pay a penny to anyone guaranteed.

It is totally free to get a tinnitus claim asssment and there are no obligations. Simply call 0800 10 757 95, chat to us via e-chat or fill in an online claim form and we will call you back.