Accident injury report reveals startling conclusions
West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio scored five or lower on a set of 10 key indicators of steps states can take to prevent injuries, according to new report examining injury deaths in the United States.
The report released by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation examines what states do in terms of injury prevention. This includes policies on seatbelt use, bike helmets and drunk driving.
At Recht Law Offices, our personal injury lawyers closely follow injury trends to assist in representing clients. The accident attorneys in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania aggressively represent people injured due to negligence. We have seen first hand the devastating impact of serious injuries and deaths as a result of the reckless actions of individuals and businesses. Accidental injury is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the new injury report, West Virginia and Pennsylvania received a 5 out of 10 score on a list of injury prevention policies. Ohio ranked last in the nation with a score of two out of 10.
Researchers found that Ohio has an annual accidental injury-death rate of 55.9 per 100,000 people; West Virginia’s rate is 88.2; Pennsylvania’s rate is 59.4. The national average is 57.9 deaths due to injury per 100,000 people.
The report, titled “The Facts Hurt,” concludes that millions of injuries could be prevented each year if more states adopted additional research-based injury prevention policies. Fewer people would be injured in car accidents in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and elsewhere in the country if programs were fully implemented and enforced, according to the report.
Currently 29 states do not require bicycle helmets for children and 31 states do not require helmets for all motorcycle riders. The authors of the report say seat belts saved an estimated 69,000 lives in car accidents from 2006 to 2010. Furthermore, about 8,000 lives were saved by motorcycle helmets between 2005 and 2009, according to the report.
If you or a loved one was injured in a motorcycle accident, a car accident or through some other form of negligence, contact a lawyer with our firm. Call 1-800-HURTLINE to learn about your rights for an experienced personal injury attorney serving West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Recht Law Offices
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Weirton, WV 26062-4505
