Important Facts About Personal Injury

The federal government's National Center for Personal Injury Protection and Control keeps track of injury statistics. Here are some of the Center's details about injury in the United States.

• Every year, more than 90,000 people die in the United States as a result of unintentional injuries.
  
• Accidental injuries result in about 31 million emergency room visits each year.
  
• Every year, about a quarter of all children sustain an injury serious enough to require medical attention, school absences, and/or bed rest.
  
• Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of injury-related deaths in the United States for people ages one to thirty-four.
  
• In 1997, 3.5 million people were injured in motor vehicle accidents in the United States, and another 42,000 died as a result of such accidents.
  
• Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths in older Americans. One out of every three people age sixty-five and over falls each year.
  
• Falls are also the leading cause of non-fatal injuries to children up to fourteen years of age, accounting for an estimated 2.5 million emergency visits annually.
  
• Drowning is the second leading cause of injury-related deaths in children ages one to fourteen.
  
• In 1997, residential fires claimed the lives of 3,360 Americans and resulted in $4.6 billion in property damage.
  In 1998, improper use of fireworks caused 8,500 injuries.
  
• About 600,000 people are treated in emergency rooms every year for bicycle-related injuries. In 1998, 758 bicyclists died from their injuries.
  
• Someone in the United States seeks medical attention for a dog bite every forty seconds.
  
• Playground accidents result in about 200,000 emergency visits every year-that's one injury every 2½ minutes.
  
• In 1998, over two million people called poison control centers regarding accidental poisonings.
  
• In 1998, nearly 40 percent of traffic fatalities were alcohol-related. Alcohol is also involved in about 40 percent of fire-related deaths and up to 50
• percent of deaths from drowning.
  
• Accidental injuries are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States.
  
• On average, there are 11,200 disabling accidental injuries every hour during the year.
  
• One out of every 10 construction workers is accidentally injured every year.
  
• The most common accident at construction sites is falls, either on the same level or from height. More fatalities occur from falls than any other construction activity.
  
• Ironworkers are the construction trade with the greatest likelihood of being injured on a construction site.
  
• More ironworkers are injured during decking operations than any other ironworking activity.
  
  Personal Injury Facts update