The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the federal agency concerned with public health and safety. Typically, people think of the CDC as an organization that identifies epidemics or mysterious outbreaks of illness, but the agency deals with a number of health and safety issues, including accidental injury, occupational injury, and violence. The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control is the agency of the CDC that deals with injury research, statistics, education, and prevention. The Injury Center researches "the best ways to prevent violence and injuries, using science to create real-world solutions to keep people safe, healthy, and productive." The injury statistics generated by the center's research can be quite eye-opening.
According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, injury is the leading cause of death for people aged 1-44. More than half of all deaths in this age group result from accidental injury and violence--more than infectious and non-communicable diseases combined. Approximately 180,000 people die of injuries each year, a figure which equates to one death every three minutes. The economic impact of injuries and violence is an estimated $406 billion in medical care and lost productivity.
The leading causes of injury are motor vehicle accidents, which kill more than 18,000 people in the United States each year, and falls, which are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury (TBI). These types of accidents account for 22 and 20 percent of the total cost of injury accidents, respectively.
Nearly 30 million people in the U.S. are treated in emergency rooms and hospitals for nonfatal injuries.
Two key areas of focus for the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control are motor vehicle safety and traumatic brain injury.
Automobile accidents led to emergency room visits for more than 2.3 million adult drivers and passengers in 2009. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lists the average economic impact of a roadway fatality to be approximately $1 million, and an accident victim suffering catastrophic injury has an economic impact of $1.1 million. In 2005, lifetime costs associated with motor vehicle accident injuries and deaths were $70 billion.
Traumatic brain injury is an injury to the brain that temporarily or permanently disrupts brain function. These injuries, including mild TBI or concussion and severe TBI, can lead to loss of consciousness, mood disorders, cognitive impairment, and other serious consequences. Although approximately three-quarters of all TBI are concussion or mild TBI, traumatic brain injury contributes to more than 30 percent of all injury deaths each year. The populations with the highest incidence of TBI include small children aged 0-4 (falls and violence), older adolescents aged 15-19 (motor vehicle accidents and youth sports), and elder adults aged 65 and older (falls). TBI costs from direct medical expenses and indirect productivity losses totaled about $76.5 million in 2000.
Injury costs are significant, and families dealing with a personal injury or wrongful death attributed to another's negligence have the right to pursue financial compensation from those whose actions or negligence left them with serious physical and financial burdens. A personal injury attorney can provide a free consultation to determine the best course of legal action following a preventable accident or act of professional negligence.
