More and more veterans have begun to come forward and sue 3M, claiming that the earplugs caused their hearing injuries. 3M didn’t admit to any guilt in the cases, but they did settle for millions of dollars, which some people take as an admission of guilt.
Many veterans stated that they were required to wear the 3M combat earplugs when they were deployed overseas in Afghanistan. 3M sold the earplugs to the United States military and allegedly assured military officials that they met the safety specifications set forth by the U.S. military. However, a whistle blower later came forward and implied that 3M may have fudged some of the test results pertaining to the 3M combat earplugs. In any case, the consequences have been life-altering for many.
The 3M combat earplugs were supposed to work by canceling the noise of combat in order to protect veterans ears. However, they had two modes. One mode made it where veterans could completely cancel the noise, and the other made it so that it would muffle the noise enough to protect veterans’ hearing without making it so that veterans couldn’t hear approaching combatants. This was supposed to protect them from getting blindsided when on the battlefield.
However, due a defect in the way that the 3M combat earplugs were manufactured, the earplugs tended to get a bit loose in veterans ears. The looseness was oftentimes so subtle that veterans couldn’t tell that that their earplugs were loose. However, that subtle looseness made a world of difference in their hearing in the long run.
Veterans who worse these defective 3M earplugs when in battle overseas experience various levels of hearing loss. Some have lost their hearing completely, while others have lost theirs partially. Some experience a constant buzzing or ringing in their heads. Regardless of the severity of the hearing loss, for those who have experienced any level of hearing loss, their lives have been irreparably changed.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of defective 3M earplugs and you or your loved one now suffers from hearing loss problems, you don’t have to just let it go. Someone can and should be held responsible for the damage done to your hearing and the effect in your lifestyle. A personal injury attorney can help you seek justice and compensation for your injuries.
Many people hesitate to get a personal injury attorney because they believe that they can’t afford the cost of an attorney. However, most personal injury attorneys don’t require upfront payment. Rather, they work on a contingency basis, which basically means that they won’t get paid unless you get paid, so you can be assured that they’ll be working as hard as they can to secure you the most favorable settlement. Personal injury attorneys usually receive somewhere around 30 percent of the settlement that you’re awarded, so you can be assured that they’ll be seeking to get you the maximum compensation that you’re entitled to under the law.
You or your loved one fought to protect your country. Your noble actions shouldn’t be repaid with a lifelong injury that is due to the negligence of a manufacturing company. You should be compensated for what you’ve suffered due to a company’s negligence, and a personal injury attorney is to there to help ensure that you are. Don’t let the people responsible for an injury you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise get away with it. Contact a personal injury attorney today to find out if you indeed have a valid case and to find out just how one can help you receive compensation.
