Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
Patterns of Injuries Among Children
A report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines the patterns of unintentional injuries among children, the leading cause of death among those under age 19.
The report was produced to coincide with the release of a World Report on Child Injury Prevention (WHO, 2008) that also provides an overview of patterns of childhood unintentional injury in the United States related to:
- drowning
- falls
- fires and burns
- car crashes
- poisoning
- suffocation
By studying death certificate data, the CDC and WHO report breaks down the causes of unintentional deaths among children according to demographics from the National Center for Health Statistics,
Childhood injuries are a growing problem globally and in the US, with approximately 875,000 children being killed and nonfatal injuries to between 10 million and 30 million children globally.
In the United States, approximately 12,000 children die annually from unintentional injury-related causes.
Statistics from the CDC:
- For children ages 1 to 4 years there were 10.8 deaths per 100,000. Males in this age group had a rate of 12.9 per 100,000 and females a rate of 8.7 per 100,000. Transportation-related injuries resulted in the highest death rate (4.2 per 100,000).
- For children ages 5 to 9 years, there were 6.0 deaths per 100,000. This age group had the lowest death rate among all age groups. Males 5 to 9 years of age had a death rate of 7.0 per 100,000 and females a rate of 4.9 per 100,000. Transportation-related injuries resulted in the highest death rate (3.6 per 100,000).
Among children less than 1 year of age, the majority of nonfatal injuries were due to:
- falls (52%)
- being struck by or against an object (14%).
- For children ages 1-4 years, the leading cause of nonfatal injury was:
- falls (43%)
- being struck by or against an object (19%).
In those 5 to 9 years of age, the leading cause of nonfatal injury was:
- falls (37%)
- being struck by or against an object (23%)
In those 10 to 14 years of age, the leading causes of nonfatal injury were:
- falls (28%)
- being struck by or against an object (25%).
In those 15 to 19 years of age, the leading cause of nonfatal injury was:
- being struck by or against an object (21%)
- falls (17%)
Kiley Law Group located in Boston and Andover, Massachusetts takes time when speaking with you about your case and works with you on a contingent basis so there are NO FEES unless our trained Boston child injury lawyers wins your case. Call now for a FREE evaluation of your case – 1-888-208-1695.
