Unintentional Injury Deaths in the U.S.: Top Causes and Liability

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that there were 130,557 unintentional injury deaths reported in a single year in the United States. While some of these deaths occur for reasons that no one can be held responsible for, others are completely avoidable and occur as a result of negligence. The following considers the top causes of unintentional injury deaths in the United States, and how filing a wrongful death claim can help surviving family members seek the damages they deserve.

Unintentional Fall Deaths

One of the leading causes of unintentional injury deaths in the United States is death by falling. In fact, of the 130,557 injury deaths reported, 30,208 of those were deaths by falling. Some causes of falling might include:

• Unsafe scaffolding equipment, or lack thereof;
• Lack of guard rails;
• Slippery and poorly-maintained walking surfaces; and
• Lack of safety harnesses (for construction workers or window cleaners).

The above list is not inclusive, but highlights the fact that the owner of a property, an employer, or the manufacturer of a safety product may be to blame for a fall death.

Motor Vehicle Traffic Deaths

Motor vehicle traffic accidents took the life of more than 33,800 people in the year for which the CDC published data. When an accident results in death, it is important for the surviving family members to conduct a thorough investigation to find out who might be responsible. Examples of potentially responsible parties in a car accident include:

• A vehicle or vehicle parts’ manufacturer;
• A loader or shipper (if one of the vehicle’s involved was carrying cargo);
• An employer of a one of the driver’s involved;
• A municipality or municipal agency;
• Another driver;
• An establishment or person who served a drunk driver alcohol; or
• A third party driver.

Unintentional Poisoning Deaths

Believe it or not, poisoning is the leading cause of injury death in the United States. This includes both pharmaceutical and illicit poisoning, as drugs are the top cause of poisoning. While many of these deaths are surely due to illegal drug use, some poisoning deaths occur because a pharmacist or doctor gives a patient the wrong prescription or the wrong instructions for a prescription, or fails to ask the patient what other medications they are taking, resulting in a dangerous cocktail of drugs.

Filing a Wrongful Death Claim

Most injury deaths are avoidable. If you believe that the death of your loved one was due to the negligence of another party – such as the failure of a property owner to maintain their property in a safe condition, or the failure of a doctor to give your loved one the right type or dosage of medication – you might have a wrongful death lawsuit.

At Fisk & Monteleone LTD., we know that there is nothing harder than losing someone you love in a preventable accident. For assistance in filing your wrongful death claim and understanding the legal process, contact our experienced Rockford wrongful death attorneys by calling 815-209-9030 today.