Copyright 2009 Edward E. Scher
Government Accident Data
Personal injury law seeks to hold wrongdoers accountable and to provide compensation for the injured – even when a big corporation or insurance company refuses to accept responsibility. Although the insurance industry and big corporations rail against personal injury lawyers and injury claims, they cannot deny a simple fact: people suffer serious injuries every day due to accidents caused by the carelessness and negligence of others. The data is clear.
Automobile and Truck Accidents
More than 41,000 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2007. Another 2.5 million people were injured. For this and additional government accident data, see http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx
Tractor-trailer accidents and large truck wrecks account for many serious accidents and injuries. In 2006, large trucks were in 368,000 wrecks, killing 4,321 people and injuring 77,000 people. For this and additional government accident data, see http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/facts-figures/analysis-statistics/cmvfacts.htm
Tractor-trailer accidents and large truck wrecks account for many serious accidents and injuries. In 2006, large trucks were in 368,000 wrecks, killing 4,321 people and injuring 77,000 people. For this and additional government accident data, see http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/facts-figures/analysis-statistics/cmvfacts.htm
Slip and Fall or Trip and Fall Accidents
These accidents are very common and cause a surprising amount of injury. In 2003, for example, 542 people died as a result of falling after a slip, trip, or stumble. (http://www.nsc.org/members_get_more/MemberResources/Documents/Injury Facts Presentations/ifFalls.ppt).
Falls are a special problem for older people. According to the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, 20% to 30% of older people who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries that can make it hard to get around and limit independent living. For more information on this data, see http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Falls/adultfalls.html
But the danger is not just for older people; falls are dangerous to all of us.
Falls are a special problem for older people. According to the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, 20% to 30% of older people who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries that can make it hard to get around and limit independent living. For more information on this data, see http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Falls/adultfalls.html
But the danger is not just for older people; falls are dangerous to all of us.
Data from New York State indicates that fall-related injuries are the leading cause of injury hospitalizations among children under 15 and adults 25 years and older, and are the leading cause of unintentional injury deaths for those 45 years and older.
For more information about the New York data, see http://www.health.state.ny.us/prevention/injury_prevention/fall_injury.htm
Without regard to age, falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries. Government data indicates that falls cause approximately 28% of the traumatic brain injuries. See http://www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury/tbi_concussion.html
Defective products
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), each year there are an average of 22,600 deaths and over 29.6 million injuries associated with consumer products, costing the American public over $500 billion.
Virtually every type of product is capable of being designed or manufactured in a way that is dangerous and defective. Defective products recently in the news include:
Virtually every type of product is capable of being designed or manufactured in a way that is dangerous and defective. Defective products recently in the news include:
- Tires
- Cars, and sport utility vehicles
- Prescription drugs
- Toys
- Household appliances
For more information about the CPSC’s data and resources, see http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/gpra/00plan.pdf
The CPSC maintains a list of items known to be defective and dangerous, and subject to recall, at this CPSC website: http://www.recalls.gov/cpsc.html
