CDC Report Reveals $18 Billion In Lifetime Medical Costs Caused By Crash Injuries
A new report from the CDC reveals that Americans spend more than 1 million days in the hospital each year as a result of injuries sustained in car accidents. In 2012 alone, more than 2.5 million people visited the emergency room and more than 200,000 were hospitalized due to injuries related motor vehicle crashes.
A total of $18 billion has been racked up in lifetime medical costs for these crash injuries ─ including roughly $8 billion for those patients who received treatment in the emergency room and released and $10 billion for victims who were admitted into the hospital for treatment. As of 2012, lifetime work lost due to car accident injuries was roughly $33 billion.
“In 2012, nearly 7,000 people went to the emergency department every day due to car crash injuries,” said CDC Principal Deputy Director Ileana Arias, Ph.D. “Motor vehicle crash injuries occur all too frequently and have health and economic costs for individuals, the health care system, and society. We need to do more to keep people safe and reduce crash injuries and medical costs.”
NYS DMV car crash statistics
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles reports a total of 304,804 motor vehicle crashes during 2013 ─ and 259,740 were reported to the police. Of those reported to the police, fatalities occurred in 1,109, serious injuries were noted in 9,814, moderate injuries were sustained in 17,018, victims were treated for minor injuries in 82,880 and the severity of injuries was unknown in 4,880 accidents.
Car accident injury breakdown
CDC researchers found that emergency room costs for each crash-related visit total approximately $3,300, with hospitalization reaching about $57,000 during a person’s lifetime. More than 75 percent of costs incurred are from care needed during the first 18 months following the injury.
Nearly 1 million crash injuries, or 38 percent of all crashes, occurred when young adults aged 15 to 29 years of age where at the wheel. However, adults older than 80 years of age are the group with the highest risk, as one-third of adults in this age group involved in a car accident were hospitalized.
The good news is researchers found there were 400,000 fewer emergency room visits and 5,700 hospitalizations from crash injuries in 2012, than 10 years earlier in 2002. This resulted in $1.7 billion in avoided lifetime medical costs and $2.3 in avoided lost work costs.
New York car accident lawyers
Our roadways are a dangerous place, but unfortunately one we can’t avoid. Most people exercise great caution when driving, but it only takes a handful of reckless drivers to put everyone’s safety in jeopardy. If you or a loved one was recently injured in a car accident, due to an erratic driver, it’s important to know that you have rights. While nothing can reverse your injuries, the New York car accident lawyers at the Sanders Firm are here make sure you receive all compensation you’re entitled to.
Call our office today at 1.800. FAIR. PLAY, or visit our website to schedule a free consultation with a NY crash injury attorney. Our seasoned team of personal injury lawyers have been fighting for the rights of the innocent in Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Long Island, and every other area of New York for more than 45 years. Resources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC Report Shows Motor Vehicle Crash Injuries are Frequent and Costly https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p1007-crash-injuries.html
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, 2013 Statewide Statistical Summary https://dmv.ny.gov/statistic/2013nyscrashsummary.pdf
