Considered a major health concern, personal injury is the fifth most common cause of death in the US. According to figures released by the National Center for Health Statistics, over 160,000 people lose their lives to this cause, while a staggering 29 million people find themselves in the emergency room due to injuries that range from superficial cuts to internal organ damage.
Personal injury statistics for Kansas are no less alarming, with it being the leading cause of fatality and hospitalization among Kansans below the age of 44. Categorized in terms of both intent and mechanism, personal injury is an umbrella term that includes physical harm caused by motor vehicle accidents, unintentional poisoning, falls, product malfunction, firearms and other factors.
Why should you bother with the figures of personal injury?
Most people consider unintentional personal injuries to be random events, meaning that they are both unpredictable and unpreventable. In reality, statistical awareness of the causes of such injuries can help to prevent them at the community level as well justify seeking restitution when such injuries occur.
Let us not forget that country-wide the cost of personal injury stands at a shocking $400 billion, in terms of loss of productivity and medical expenses. For Kansas residents, these are the stats when it comes to unintentional personal injuries:
- – Almost 1600 Kansans lose their lives to such injuries every year.
- – Among the most common causes of injury related mortality are motor vehicle accidents and unintentional falls.
- – Personal injury is responsible for a greater loss of potential living days than most major health issues such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
- – At 44.4 deaths per 100,000 people, Kansas has a higher rate of fatality due to personal injuries than the country.
- – In the age group of 15-24 years, injury accounts for more deaths than all other causes put together.
- – Every day, almost 25 Kansans suffer injuries that are serious enough to require care in a trauma center.
Are you at risk of suffering a personal injury in Kansas?
Yes, you are! Here are the most common personal injuries suffered by Kansans.
Motor vehicle accidents: Although there was a decrease of nearly 20% in the number of motor vehicle crash fatalities, Kansans still run a very high risk of getting injured while on the road, considering that almost 45,000 people were seriously injured in motor vehicle collisions between 2007 and 2009. The figure gives an annual average of almost 22,000 people injured in vehicle accidents.
Unintentional falls: The second leading cause of fatalities among all unintentional personal injuries. Slip, trip and falls sent nearly 38,000 people to the ER between 2003 and 2007. Unintentional falls lead to hundreds of cases of traumatic brain injuries each year. Although older adults (55 years and above) are the most at risk, almost 20% people in their forties reported falling at least once in the last 3 months.
Moreover, in 30% of these instances, the person suffered from some type of injury. In terms of fatality, the number of deaths attributed to unintentional falls has nearly doubled between 2002 and 2011.
Unintentional poisoning: In the 8 years from 2002 to 2011, there was an increase of almost 40% in the rate of poisoning deaths in Kansas, making it the third leading cause of fatalities in the state. Of these, 75% of the deaths were attributed to unintentional poisoning.
Furthermore, nearly 11,000 people sought emergency medical help for unintentional poisoning between 2007 and 2009. Contrary to popular perception, unintentional poisoning does not always involve the use of illicit drugs but also prescription medication as well as inhalation of toxic gases. These forms of injuries account for the majority of cases of traumatic brain injury in Kansas.
Bicycle accidents: Although the statistics for bicycle accidents in Kansas are not available, nationwide, almost 800 people are killed while riding their bicycles on bustling urban roads. At first glance, this may not seem too alarming because it accounts for just 2% of all traffic fatalities but the fact that bicycle rides make up for just 1% of all road trips in the US is what makes this figure stand out.
As compared to the entire country the numbers for Wichita show that bicyclists have a very high rate of suffering from injuries. Almost half the cyclists involved in crashes suffer from injuries.
Workplace injuries: In 2016, nearly 32,000 people had to be treated for non-fatal work related injuries and illnesses, spelling an increase of over 10% from the figures of the previous year. Overall, the Kansas State average for workplace injuries at 3.3 injuries per 100 full time workers is higher than the national average of 2.9 cases.
In the same year, almost 74 people lost their lives due to workplace accidents/injuries. Most of the mishaps that led to fatalities were transportation related and involved a mechanized land vehicle.
What should you do if you have suffered from physical injury?
Apart from road accidents, falls, poisoning and workplace mishaps, unintentional injuries can also result from product defects, medical malpractice, animal attacks and scores of other reasons. The bottom line here is that physical harm caused by these factors can and will have a significant impact on your life and livelihood.
Kansas has the “comparative negligence” law in place, which means that if it is deemed you were in the least bit at fault, your settlement gets reduced. Also, most of these cases get settled out of court. Moral of the story, you only stand a chance if you have an experienced attorney working on your case.
So, if you have suffered from personal injuries, do not suffer in silence and do not let the other side bully you into accepting a fraction of what you should rightly receive. Contact one of DeVaughn James Injury Lawyers today and we will make sure that you are compensated for the physical and financial harm you have been put through.
References:
- – http://www.kdheks.gov/idp/core_injury.html
- – http://www.kdheks.gov/idp/download/databrief_falls.pdf
- – http://www.kdheks.gov/idp/download/ten_leading_causes_of_unintentional_injury_deaths_kansas.pdf
- – http://www.kdheks.gov/idp/download/Falls_in_Kansas_Data_Document.pdf
- – https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/accidental-injury.htm
- – https://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/burtransplan/prodinfo/accista.asp
- – https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.safestates.org/resource/resmgr/imported/Kansas_%20State%20Fact%20Sheets.pdf
- – http://www.cjonline.com/news/business/state-health-care-kansas/2018-01-06/leading-causes-death-kansas
- – http://www.kansashealthmatters.org/indicators/index/view?indicatorId=1343&localeId=19
- – http://www.kansashealthmatters.org/index.php?module=Tiles&controller=index&action=display&alias=UnintentionalInjuries
- – http://www.healthykansans2020.com/KHAIP/Health-Assessment-Section-15.pdf?v=1
- – http://www.kstrauma.org/download/Trauma_Annual_Report_2013.pdf
