INDIANA – A new study reveals the non-fatal injuries that most frequently land Americans in the emergency room, with accidental falls being the top cause.
The analysis undertaken by experienced personal injury attorneys John Foy & Associates used the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to uncover the leading injuries prompting adults to seek emergency medical assistance.
Unintentional falls are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries in America, resulting in around 5,598,438 ER visits annually across all genders and ages. This type of accident may occur due to circumstances like slippery, cluttered, or unstable walking/working surfaces.
The second most common is unintentional poisoning, with around 1,712,272 individuals affected each year. From foodborne illnesses to drug overdoses, poisoning comes in many forms and represents one of the largest ER risks nationwide. This category excludes the unexpected adverse effects of correctly administered drugs and bacterial illnesses like food poisoning.
Unintentionally struck by or against takes third place and accounts for 1,591,827 visits each year. These visits typically involve incidents where individuals are struck by an object, animal, or person, rather than a vehicle or machinery. They can occur in a number of circumstances, such as at a person’s workplace while walking their dog, or rollerblading on the beach.
Occupants of motor vehicles are fourth, with an estimated 1,541,393 visits each year. These accidents affect occupants of cars, pickup trucks, SUVs, vans, heavy transport vehicles, and buses and most commonly occur as a result of traffic accidents.
Unintentionally cut or pierced is the fifth most common reason, accounting for an estimated 1,293,773 visits each year. Accidental incisions, slashes, perforations, punctures, and lacerations from household or occupational objects are common examples of this non-fatal injury.
The sixth-leading cause is overexertion, which can result from activities like heavy lifting or intense workouts, and accounts for more than 1,272,977 yearly emergency department visits.
Coming in seventh is unintentional bites and stings, causing around 427,255 emergency visits. This accounts for injuries such as snake and lizard bites, bee and wasp, scorpion stings, and even jellyfish stings. This also encompasses injuries involving penetration of the skin from plants or plant parts.
Other unintentional transportation-related injuries come in eighth, with about 350,007 cases each year. These injuries include pedestrians injured while boarding transport, accidents involving power scooters, go-karts, streetcars, and even space transport.
The presence of a foreign body is the ninth leading cause, with around 277,922 yearly incidents. Such incidents could involve accidental ingestion or insertion of foreign objects, such as toys, pebbles, or dirt, into the eye or other orifices of the body.
Rounding off the top ten is unintentional pedal cyclist injuries, with 229,312 incidents. This includes accidents involving bicycles and similar transport modes, such as losing control, colliding, or other traffic-related events on public roads.
| The leading causes of non-fatal injury in men | ||
| Rank | Cause of emergency room visit | Estimated number of emergency room visits |
| 1. | Unintentional fall | 2,422,822 |
| 2. | Unintentional poisoning | 1,162,368 |
| 3. | Unintentionally struck by or against an object/animal/person | 945,134 |
| 4. | Unintentionally cut or pierced | 836,243 |
| 5. | Unintentional motor vehicle occupant injury | 754,326 |
| The leading causes of non-fatal injury in women | ||
| Rank | Cause of emergency room visit | Estimated number of emergency room visits |
| 1. | Unintentional fall | 3,175,566 |
| 2. | Unintentional motor vehicle occupant injury | 787,044 |
| 3. | Unintentionally struck by or against an object/animal/person | 646,693 |
| 4. | Unintentional overexertion | 626,959 |
| 5. | Unintentional poisoning | 549,420 |
| The leading causes of non-fatal injury in America | ||
| Rank | Cause of emergency room visit | Estimated number of emergency room visits |
| 1. | Unintentional fall | 5,598,438 |
| 2. | Unintentional poisoning | 1,712,272 |
| 3. | Unintentionally struck by or against an object/animal/person | 1,591,827 |
| 4. | Unintentional motor vehicle occupant injury | 1,541,393 |
| 5. | Unintentionally cut or pierced | 1,293,773 |
| 6. | Unintentional overexertion | 1,272,977 |
| 7. | Unintentional bites and stings | 427,255 |
| 8. | Unintentional other transportation injuries | 350,007 |
| 9. | The unintentional foreign object inside the body | 277,922 |
| 10. | Unintentional pedal cyclist (bicycle, etc.) injury | 229,312 |
| 11. | Unintentional motorcyclist injury | 223,431 |
| 12. | Unintentional dog bite injury | 220,125 |
| 13. | Unintentional fire/burn injury | 213,634 |
| 14. | Unintentional machinery injury | 129,858 |
| 15. | Unintentional pedestrian injury | 119,214 |
| 16. | Unintentional natural or environmental injury | 50,627 |
| 17. | Unintentional inhalation or suffocation | 32,214 |
| 18. | Unintentional firearm injury | 26,830 |
“The data provided further important insights, when looking at sex differences between male and female ER visits,” said John Foy, founder of John Foy & Associates. “For instance, women are more frequently victims of dog bites than men, which could be in part due to the fact that more than 70% of dog walkers are female.
“Additionally, the data suggests that occupants of larger vehicles, such as cars, trucks, or buses, are 590% more likely to sustain non-fatal injuries than motorcyclists.
“It’s also noteworthy that overexertion alone results in more emergency room trips than dog bites, pedal cycle incidents, and bites and stings combined,” he added.
Information: https://www.johnfoy.com.
