Recently there was a terrible accident in Tampa. A woman was backed over by a garbage truck.
You might think “How could that happen?” There is a loud beeping sound when commercial trucks back up.
It turned out that she was wearing hearing aids. Your next thought might be “Why didn’t she hear the beeps?” Even with the best hearing aids, no one hears everything. If her hearing was bad enough, she probably still didn’t hear the beeping. Another thing to consider, is how noisy was the environment when this happened? Did the existing noise block out the sounds of the beeps?
Even with normal hearing, environmental sounds and barriers can block out warning sounds. This is why it is so important to be aware of your environment at all times. If you walk, run, or bike with earbuds in, you are at risk of injury or worse. If you must listen to music, be sure to keep the volume low and be extra vigilant. If you are in a noisy environment, pay extra attention to what is going on around you.
If you would like more information, give us a call at 727-323-2471.
Susan E. Terry, Au.D., F-AAA, F-NAP
Doctor of Audiology
Board Certified
P.S. We are here to help if you have any questions about your hearing feel free to give us a call at 727-323-2471