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The National Safety Council (NSC) says that every four minutes someone in the United States dies from an unintentional injury. That represents 120,000 people a year. NSC further says that sixty-seven percent of all injury-related deaths in the U.S. are due to unintentional causes, compared to just nine percent for homicide. The cost of unintentional injuries to Americans and their employers exceeds $793 billion nationally. These cost are paid in the form of taxes, insurance premiums, medical costs, property damage, lost wages and productivity. The top three causes of unintentional injury in the U.S. are poisoning, motor vehicle crashes and falls.

1. Poisoning

According to a study done by the National Poison Data System, poisoning, which is most commonly related to inadvertent medication overdose, is the number one cause of unintentional death in the U.S..  It kills more people in the United States each year than car accidents.

There has been an increase of 145% since 1999 in unintentional poisoning deaths in the United States.  Ninety-three percent of unintentional poisoning deaths are the result of drug overdose which most commonly are from opioid pain medications such as methadone, hydrocodone, or oxycodone. Of the most populous states in the nation, California and New York have some of the lowest rates of unintentional poisonings from opioid drugs, while Florida has one of the highest rates. Hospital emergency departments have seen that visits for the misuse or abuse of legal drugs have caught up with illegal drugs.

World Life Expectancy.com finds the stages of life when the vast majority of unintentional poisoning deaths occur alarming. Unintentional poisoning was the leading cause of death from all causes for ages 35-44, the number two cause from 25-34, and the third leading cause of death from 45-54.

Safety Tips for Drugs and Medicines

• Follow directions on label when taking medicine.
• Turn on a light when giving or taking medicine at night so you know you have given the correct amount of the right medicine.
• Never share or sell your prescription drugs.
• Keep medicine in their original bottles or containers.
• Keep medicine in a safe place out of the reach of children.
• Monitor the use of medicine prescribed to children and teenagers.
• Be careful when you dispose drugs that can be abused.

          (Source: Alabama Department of Health)

2. Motor Vehicle Crashes

For teenagers and young adults, motor vehicle crashes caused the most deaths, with distractions caused by cellphones contributing significantly to those crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), between 2008 and 2012, there were 1,766,000 injuries and 17,942 deaths from vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.

Any diversion that can take a driver's attention away from the primary task of driving is termed, distracted driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety. The American Automobile Association (AAA) says these types of distractions include, but are not limited to:

• Using a cell phone or smartphone to talk or text
• Eating and drinking
• Talking to passengers
• Grooming
• Reading, including maps
• Using a navigation system
• Watching a video
• Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player

Generally, if you cannot devote your full attention to driving because of some other activity, it is a distraction. Take care of it before or after your trip, not while behind the wheel.

3. Falls

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) reports that each year, one in every three adults age 65 and older falls. Falls can cause moderate to severe injuries, such as hip fractures, torn rotator cuffs and head traumas, and can increase the risk of early death. Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries among seniors. In 2010, 2.3 million nonfatal fall injuries among older adults were treated in emergency departments, and more than 662,000 of these patients were hospitalized.

For seniors, there are fall prevention programs which include a number of components which identify and modify the risk of fall.  These include:

• Screening within living environments for risks for falls;
• Clinical interventions to identify risk factors, such as medication review and modification, treatment of low blood pressure, Vitamin D and calcium supplementation, treatment of correctable visual impairment;
• Home assessment and environmental modification for those with known risk factors or a history of falling;
• Prescription of appropriate assistive devices to address physical and sensory impairments;
• Muscle strengthening and balance retraining prescribed by a trained health professional;
• Community-based group programs which may incorporate fall prevention education and Tai Chi-type exercises or dynamic balance and strength training;
• Use of hip protectors for those at risk of a hip fracture due to a fall.

                   (Source: World Health Organization)

"The emotional impact of unintentional death is devastating to families and friends. Being informed about the top causes of unintentional death and taking precautions, is important. When those precautions fail as the result of the negligence of others, seek legal counsel," recommends Cape Coral Accident Attorney, Randall Spivey of Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.

Cape Coral Accident Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.