According to the National Safety Council, unintentional and preventable injuries have become one of the top causes of deaths within the United States. Accidental injuries are injuries that should not have happened and when a death occurs because of an accidental injury, it is important to determine if someone else’s negligence of wrongdoing caused the death to occur.
If negligence or wrongdoing caused an accidental death to happen, a New York City personal injury law firm should be consulted to provide help to loved ones in obtaining compensation for the loss that has occurred.
Accidental Injuries are a Leading Cause of Death
According to the National Safety Council, there were a total of 14,803 more deaths due to accidental injuries in 2016 than the total number of accidental deaths due to injuries in 2015. This is a 10 percent increase in deaths from accidental injuries between 2015 and 2016. It is the largest single year increase in accidental deaths since 1936. Because the number of accidental deaths also rose dramatically from 2014 to 2015, there was a new record set. Over two years, the number of accidental deaths rose 18.6 percent, which is the biggest two-year increase since 1903.
There are many reasons why the number of accidental deaths rose so much between 2015 and 2016. One of those reasons was that car accident risks rose. From 2015 to 2016, there was a 6.8 percent increase in car accident fatalities, bringing the total up to 40,327 people dying in car accidents over the course of the year. Just like with the total rise in accidental injuries, one of the largest two-year jumps also occurred in the number of people dying in car accidents. Since 2014, there was a 14 percent increase in the number of deaths in motor vehicle accidents.
With so many people losing their lives to accidental injuries, death due to preventable accidents is now the third leading cause of death in the U.S. A total of 442 people are killed because of accidental injuries each day now, and the president of the National Safety Council blames this on complicity. since everyone of these injuries is preventable.
The NSC president stated: “For years our country has accepted unintentional injuries as an unavoidable reality. The truth is, there is no such thing as an accident. Every single one of these deaths was preventable. We know what to do to save lives, but collectively we have failed to prioritize safety at work, at home and on the road.”
When people behave in unsafe ways, whether behind the wheel, by creating unacceptable risks on their property, or by creating an unsafe worksite, they should be held accountable for the harm they cause. A New York City personal injury law firm represents victims injured through negligence and also provides representation in wrongful death cases. Contact an attorney as soon as possible after your loved one has passed so you can take action to get the compensation you deserve from individuals or businesses who caused your loved one’s death.
If you or a loved one has suffered injuries in an accident, call us today at (212) 344-1000 to schedule your free consultation or contact us online.
