Legal Question in Personal Injury in Rhode Island

Injured ear during haircut

I was having my hair cut at a reputable salon, when suddenly the stylist cut my left ear with her scissors. The stylist wadded the cut with tissue and continued to cut my hair. No incident report was filed, nor was I charged for the cut. The ear began to bleed profusely a short time later, and I was forced to visit a local E.R., to have 4 stitches applied to stop the bleeding of my ear. The stiches have now been removed, and in total, I lost one day of work, spent four hours in the E.R.,took a 5 day regimen od antibioics, and have a small v-shaped scar on my ear. So here is my big question....

How much of a settlement can I expect for negligence if the scarring is minimal?


Asked on 12/09/03, 10:28 am

2 Answers from Attorneys

Jules D'Alessandro D'Alessandro & Wright

Re: Injured ear during haircut

The evaluation of an injury can be a complicated process that is based upon length of treatment, type of treatment and in your case permanency and scarring. Any lawyer who would render an opinion on the value of damages without specific information would be foolish and certainly not working to serve your best interests. Another consideration while having nothing to do with valuation does concern potential recovery. If the person who cut your ear is a subcontractor or self employed and not an employee of the salon they may not be carrying insurance. In RI many hair stylists rent space , a chair or a booth from a larger salon but are not actually employed by the salon. In such cases the salon itself may not be responsible. Our firm has years of experience in cases such as yours. In fact we have been successful against hair salons in the past for injury caused by excessive use of chemical solutions. Please feel free to contact my office right away.

Read more
Answered on 12/10/03, 11:11 am
Patricia Joyce Law Office of Patricia M. Joyce

Re: Injured ear during haircut

The damages resulting from your situation cannot be projected without knowing what your medical expenses (including antibiotics at their actual price - not your co-payment)amount to and without knowing what you are paid on a daily basis. At that point, an attorney could project a ballpark figure for those damages, plus the nature and extent of the scarring.

I hope this information is helpful to you. Feel free to contact my office if you have any questions.

Read more
Answered on 12/09/03, 1:09 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Personal Injury Law and Tort Law questions and answers in Rhode Island