Falling* and the General Population

• Falling is the number one cause of nonfatal injury.
• Falling is the number one cause of nonfatal injuries treated in emergency room,
accounting for 8 million ER visits annually.
• Falling is the number one cause of nonfatal injuries leading to hospitalization,
accounting for at least a half a million hospital stays annually.
• Falling is the number one cause of nonfatal injuries not leading to hospitalization, accounting for over 11 million people injured but not hospitalized.
• Falling is the number one cause of total medical cost of injuries, accounting for at least 33 percent of all such costs.
• Falling is the number two cause of traumatic brain injuries.
• Falling is the number three cause of spinal cord injuries.
• Falling is the number three cause of fatal injury, accounting for over 15,000 deaths annually.
• Falling costs almost 100 billion dollars in direct costs and productivity losses annually (37 to 45 billion in direct costs alone.)

Falling and Children

• Falling is the number one cause of unintentional injury for children.
• Falling is the number one cause of all nonfatal injuries to children, accounting for more than half of all such injuries.
• Falling is the number one cause of playground-related injuries, accounting for approximately 80 percent; and causes more than one-fifth of playground-related fatalities.
• Falling is the number one cause of treatment in emergency rooms,
sending more than 2.3 million children ages 14 and under to hospital emergency rooms annually.
• Falling is the number one cost for injuries of children ages 14 and under,
accounting for more than one-quarter of all childhood unintentional injury-related costs.
• Children ages 14 and under account for one-third of all fall-related visits to hospital emergency rooms.

Falling and Seniors

• Falling is the number one cause of injury for seniors.
• Falling is the number one cause of hospitalization due to injuries for seniors, accounting for five times more than any other cause of injury.
• Falling is the number one cause of death by accident for seniors.
• More than a third of adults aged 65 years or older fall each year.
• Of those who fall, 20% to 30% suffer moderate to severe injuries that reduce mobility and independence, and increase the risk of premature death.

 

Falling and Schools

• Falling is the number one cause of school-related student injuries requiring hospitalization, accounting for 43 percent of all such hospitalizations.
• Falling is the number one cause of school-related injuries to students.
• Falling is the number one cause of school-related injuries to teachers.
• Falling is the number one cause of school-related accident insurance loss, at three times more than virtually all other causes combined.

Falling and the Workplace

• Falling is the number two cause of workplace injuries, accounting for almost one-quarter of all such injures (overexertion being the first),

Falling and the Home

• Falling is the number one cause of nonfatal unintentional injury in the home,
accounting for more than 40 percent.
• Falling is the number one cause of deaths by accident in the home,
accounting for a third of all such deaths.
• Falling is the number one cause of nonfatal unintentional injury in the home resulting in emergency room care, accounting for a third of all such care.

 

 

*Unintentional falls. Sources include the CDC, NIH, the National Safe Kids Campaign, the Home Safety Council, and numerous medical/science studies.