Risk of death from car accidents high

On behalf of Aiken and Aiken P.C. Personal Injury Attorneys posted in Car Accidents, on Monday, October 19, 2015

While all people in Massachusetts will eventually die, they of course have a strong interest in doing so due to old age rather than to an accident. While the state shows one of the lowest rates of death due to motor vehicle accidents, these incidents till account for a significant cause of fatalities.Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 33,084 people died in car accidents in 2013. Total deaths from all causes for the same year were slightly less than 2.6 million. This means that across the country, vehicle accidents accounted for 10.7 deaths for every 100,000. People thus have an overall likelihood of one out of 77 for dying in a car accident. By comparison, people have a one out of four chance of dying from heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. Still, more should be done to reduce the death rate for motor vehicle accidents. In 2013, 375 people died in Massachusetts motor vehicle accidents, which was a rate of 5.6 per 100,000 people. While this is better than the national rate, reducing it further would be optimal.When a negligent driver’s actions results in the death of another person, the decedent’s surviving family members often have to deal with substantial financial losses while also trying to grieve. Those who are in this position may want to meet with a personal injury attorney to explore the advisability of filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the at-fault motorist. Damages that might be sought could include funeral and burial expenses and, in some cases, loss of companionship