Injuries are the leading cause of death for people ages 1-44 in Massachusetts and injuries are the 4th leading cause of death among all ages.
The overall impact of unintentional and preventable injury is more serious than we see in our communities and on the news. Millions of Americans are injured each year and are treated in hospital emergency rooms throughout the country.
In 2021, unintentional injuries accounted for 87% of the 45,345 injury-related hospital stays in MA, most of these injuries were predictable and therefore preventable.
For this reason, the Injury Prevention Center at UMass Memorial Medical Center is leading a coordinated effort to reduce injuries in the community we serve, guided by the belief that everyone should have access to accurate and up-to-date information and resources to live a healthier, safer life.
For more information or to sponsor one of our programs, please contact us at injuryprevention@umassmemorial.org.
The Burden of Injuries
- In MA in 2021, 4,636 people died due to unintentional injuries, or almost 13 people every day. This was the fourth leading cause of death for all ages in 2021, only behind cancer, heart disease and COVID-19.
- The leading unintentional injury causes in Massachusetts in 2021 are falls 56.7% (25,685), motor vehicle crashes 9.7% (4,397) and poisonings 7.92% (3,581).
- 88% (1,038) of deaths due to falls in Massachusetts in 2021 occurred to people 65 and older.
- In 2021, 224,935 people in the United States died due to unintentional injuries - that is 621 people every day or 26 people every hour.
- In the United States in 2021, 42,939 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, a 10% increase from 2020 and the highest number of deaths since 2005.
- 62 million people sought medical attention due to an unintentional injury in the United States in 2021.
- In 2019, the cost of injury was $4.2 trillion including cost of medical care, work loss and value of statistical life and quality of life loss.
(Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Our Injury Prevention Programs
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