Report Reveals That Pennsylvania Children Are More Likely To Suffer Fatal Injuries

A new report released documents that children in Pennsylvania are more likely to suffer a fatal injury than children in neighboring states like New Jersey or New York. Specifically, the investigation found that more than 16 people per 100,000 under the age of 20 died of injuries in Pennsylvania, a rate that exceeds every other state except Ohio and West Virginia. Injuries covered by the report included car accidents, drowning incidents, suffocation, poisonings, homicides, suicides, falls, fires, and overdoses.

The report also found that Pennsylvanians of all ages are more likely to suffer from fatal injuries, at 64 deaths per 100,000—the second highest rate in the country (next to West Virginia). Pennsylvania also had a higher drug overdose rate than motor vehicle fatality rate, and scored poorly for lacking a seat belt law, mandating ignition locks for convicted drunk drivers, and having a curfew in place for teenage drivers. Perhaps most alarmingly, Pennsylvania had homicide and death-by-fall rates that were higher than the national goal established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The report was a serious wake up call for unintentional injuries that are the result of negligence, and persist as a serious health threat in the United States, particularly for children, where injuries account for 70 percent of deaths amongst ages 10 to 24. It is evident that many states, to this day, demonstrate significant complacency when it comes to enhancing efforts to adopt and implement strategies to decrease accident injuries and reduce fatalities. The majority of these injuries are predictable, preventable, and avoidable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In particular, car and other vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people ages five to 34. More than 33,000 people die each year from motor vehicle accidents.

Research has shown that public health plays a major role in reducing injuries. Strategies such as mandating child safety seats, motorcycle helmets, sobriety checkpoints, and violence prevention programs, as well as setting up multiple poison control centers have helped saved many lives each year. Still, national investment in injury prevention has a long way to go. Only 20 states receive statewide infrastructure funding to support injury and violence prevention programs.

You can obtain more information about injury prevention from the Safe States Alliance and the Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury Prevention.

Solnick Lawyers, Personal Injury Firm

One person dies from an injury every three minutes in the United States. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to another’s negligence or wrongdoing, you may be entitled to compensation. At Solnick Lawyers, we represent clients in personal injury cases involving auto and bus accidents, construction site accidents, slip and fall, wrongful death, bicycle accidents, and truck and motorcycle accidents. Contact us today.