Personal injury outcomes are shaped by risks that span healthcare and everyday life. Across the US, treatment and medication mistakes can cause severe harm, while crashes, falls, and consumer product issues send people to the ER. This page also covers workplace injury costs and fatalities, with a focus on high-risk groups such as older adults and construction workers.
Key Takeaways
- Medical errors cause 250,000 deaths yearly in US
- 1 in 5 patients experience preventable harm
- Surgical errors: 4,044 deaths annually
- In 2022, 42,514 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the US
- Motor vehicle crashes caused 5 million injuries in the US in 2021
- 38% of motor vehicle crash deaths in 2021 involved alcohol
- Slips and falls cost businesses $11 billion yearly
- 1 million ER visits yearly from slips and falls in US
- Falls cause 36 million injuries annually among older adults
- Product recalls: 400+ food-related yearly causing injuries
- Defective airbags deployed incorrectly 29 million times
- 37,000 injuries from consumer products yearly
- There were 2.7 million nonfatal workplace injuries in 2022
- Workplace injuries cost $167 billion in 2020
- Falls are the leading cause of workplace fatalities, 38% in construction
Preventable medical, traffic, and workplace harms claim thousands of lives and millions of injuries each year in the US.
Related reading
01 · Category
Medical24 stats
01
Medical errors cause 250,000 deaths yearly in US
02
1 in 5 patients experience preventable harm
03
Surgical errors: 4,044 deaths annually
04
Medication errors harm 1.5 million people yearly
05
Diagnostic errors affect 12 million US adults yearly
06
Hospital-acquired infections: 687,000 cases, 72,000 deaths yearly
07
80% of serious medical errors involve miscommunication
08
Anesthesia errors: 34.4 per 10,000 cases
09
Birth injuries affect 7 per 1,000 births
10
Wrong-site surgery: 20 per week in US
11
Delayed diagnosis leads to 40% of malpractice claims
12
Nursing errors: 98,000 preventable deaths yearly
13
Emergency room errors: 2.4 million injuries yearly
14
50% of surgical complications preventable
15
Opioid prescribing errors contribute to 16,000 deaths yearly
16
Radiology misreads: 40-80 million yearly worldwide
17
Labor/delivery malpractice: $4.8 billion in payouts 2010-2019
18
30% of malpractice claims drop due to no error
19
Sepsis misdiagnosis: 80% of cases missed initially
20
Cancer diagnostic delays: 20% of cases
21
Pediatric errors: 3x higher lawsuit risk
22
Average malpractice payout: $348,065
23
Repeat hospitalizations from errors: 2.6 million yearly
24
Ventilator-associated pneumonia: 36% mortality
Interpretation
Medical Interpretation
For the Medical angle, preventable harm is a major and recurring crisis in the US, with 250,000 deaths tied to medical errors each year and 687,000 hospital-acquired infection cases resulting in 72,000 deaths annually.
02 · Category
Motor Vehicle30 stats
01
In 2022, 42,514 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the US
02
Motor vehicle crashes caused 5 million injuries in the US in 2021
03
38% of motor vehicle crash deaths in 2021 involved alcohol
04
Speeding was a factor in 29% of fatal motor vehicle crashes in 2021
05
Distracted driving led to 3,308 deaths in 2022
06
Pedestrian deaths reached 7,522 in 2022
07
Motorcycle deaths totaled 5,579 in 2021
08
Teen drivers aged 16-19 have crash rates 3 times higher than drivers over 20
09
Seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives in 2017
10
Rear seatbelt use is only 82% among adults
11
Large trucks were involved in 5,788 fatal crashes in 2021
12
72% of truck occupant deaths occur in crashes with other large trucks
13
Bicycle deaths increased 29% from 2018 to 2021
14
In 2020, 42% of fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants were unbelted
15
Intersection crashes account for 40% of all crashes
16
Rollover crashes cause 30% of passenger vehicle occupant deaths
17
Nighttime crashes are 3 times deadlier than daytime
18
Male drivers account for 71% of motor vehicle crash deaths
19
Drivers aged 16-24 have highest crash rates per mile driven
20
94% of crashes are due to human error
21
Car crashes cost the US $340 billion annually
22
Head-on crashes make up 10% of fatal crashes but 55% of rural fatalities
23
SUV rollover rate is 37% higher than sedans
24
25% of drivers report falling asleep at the wheel yearly
25
Red light running causes 700 deaths yearly
26
Wrong-way crashes on divided highways killed 889 from 2000-2018
27
Electric vehicle crashes are underreported by 20-40%
28
Autonomous vehicle disengagements occur every 5,000 miles
29
Side-impact crashes cause 25% of occupant deaths
30
Rural roads have 2.5 times higher fatality rate per mile
Interpretation
Motor Vehicle Interpretation
Motor vehicle injuries and fatalities remain alarmingly high, with 42,514 deaths in 2022 and 5 million injuries reported in 2021, and the biggest drivers include alcohol in 38% of crash deaths in 2021, speeding in 29% of fatal crashes, and distracted driving accounting for 3,308 deaths in 2022.
report visual · Comparison
Fatal crash deaths by contributing factor (US, 2022)
In 2022, alcohol-impaired driving had the highest share of fatal motor-vehicle crash deaths, leading speeding and distracted driving by a clear margin (largest segment of the death
37,157 total crash deaths in 2022 in the US (base for death-share denominator)37,157 deaths
10,316 deaths in 2022 involved alcohol-impaired driving in the US (count of fatalities)
10,316 deaths
5,783 deaths in 2022 involved speeding in the US (count of fatalities)
5,783 deaths
3,341 deaths in 2022 involved distracted driving in the US (count of fatalities)
3,341 deaths
source-verifiedcrashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov2022
03 · Category
Premises26 stats
01
Slips and falls cost businesses $11 billion yearly
02
1 million ER visits yearly from slips and falls in US
03
Falls cause 36 million injuries annually among older adults
04
1 in 4 Americans aged 65+ falls each year
05
Slip and fall accidents cost $50 billion in medical bills yearly
06
Wet floors cause 15% of slips
07
Uneven surfaces responsible for 23% of slip injuries
08
Retail stores see 95% of slip incidents from liquid spills
09
66% of fall injuries occur at home
10
Stairs cause 31% of fall injuries
11
Parking lots: 10% of all slip and fall claims
12
Ice/snow slips: 1 million injuries yearly
13
Elderly fall death rate doubled from 2000-2020
14
37% of slip injuries from footwear issues
15
Commercial properties: 40% of slips from poor housekeeping
16
Children under 5: 800,000 ER visits from falls yearly
17
Bathtubs/showers: 80% of bathroom falls
18
Ladders cause 81,000 injuries yearly
19
Sidewalks: 20% of pedestrian fall claims
20
Floors/walkways: 85% of restaurant slips
21
50% of falls preventable with grab bars
22
Supermarket slips: average claim $30,000
23
Escalator falls: 10,000 injuries yearly
24
Hotel slips highest in hospitality industry
25
Poor lighting contributes to 40% of falls
26
Carpets/rugs cause 30% of indoor falls
Interpretation
Premises Interpretation
From a premises liability standpoint, slips and falls are a major recurring risk, with 1 million ER visits and $11 billion in yearly business costs in the US, and wet floors alone contributing 15% of these slip incidents.
More related reading
04 · Category
Product20 stats
01
Product recalls: 400+ food-related yearly causing injuries
02
Defective airbags deployed incorrectly 29 million times
03
37,000 injuries from consumer products yearly
04
Toys cause 251,000 ER visits to children under 15 yearly
05
Furniture tip-overs: 870 injuries to kids daily pre-2016
06
E-cigarettes: 2,807 cases of lung injury by 2020
07
Baby walkers: 230,000 injuries 1990-2014
08
Power tools cause 88,000 chainsaw injuries yearly
09
Food product contamination: 48 million illnesses yearly
10
Hip implant failures: 5,000 revision surgeries yearly
11
Takata airbags recalled 67 million units
12
Button batteries: 2,500 ingestions yearly in kids
13
Laundry detergent pods: 10,000 exposures yearly
14
Exercise equipment: 409,100 injuries in 2018
15
Defective tires cause 11,000 crashes yearly
16
High chairs: 9,400 injuries 2003-2009
17
Window blinds strangulations: 274 deaths since 1996
18
E-scooters: 19,000 injuries in 2019
19
Chemical burns from products: 10% of burns
20
Bunk beds: 36,000 injuries yearly
Interpretation
Product Interpretation
From the product angle, consumer hazards are showing up at huge scale, with toys driving 251,000 emergency visits for children under 15 each year and e-cigarettes contributing 2,807 lung injury cases by 2020.
05 · Category
Workplace27 stats
01
There were 2.7 million nonfatal workplace injuries in 2022
02
Workplace injuries cost $167 billion in 2020
03
Falls are the leading cause of workplace fatalities, 38% in construction
04
5,486 workers died on the job in 2022
05
Overexertion caused 251,500 injuries in 2022
06
Slips, trips, and falls caused 27% of nonfatal injuries
07
Manufacturing had 347,000 injury cases in 2022
08
Construction injuries numbered 484 per 10,000 workers
09
80% of back injuries are preventable with ergonomics
10
Needlestick injuries occur 385,000 times yearly to healthcare workers
11
Violence caused 740 workplace homicides in 2022
12
Women experience 71% of workplace nonfatal injuries from overexertion
13
Hispanic workers have 18% higher fatal injury rate
14
Small businesses (<20 workers) have 2x higher injury rates
15
Musculoskeletal disorders account for 30% of injury costs
16
Contact with objects/equipment caused 18% of fatal injuries
17
Transportation incidents caused 37% of workplace deaths
18
Nursing assistants have 8.8 injury rate per 100 workers
19
Roofers have highest fatal injury rate at 51.8 per 100,000
20
42% of injuries occur within first year of employment
21
Hearing loss affects 22 million US workers annually
22
Respiratory illnesses from work: 2.2 per 10,000 workers
23
Firefighters have 3.9 fatal injury rate
24
Landscaping workers: 5.2 fatal injuries per 100,000
25
Office workers: 1.5 injuries per 100 full-time workers
26
60% of workplace injuries not reported
27
Average workers' comp claim: $41,157
Interpretation
Workplace Interpretation
In the workplace, nonfatal injuries totaled 2.7 million in 2022 and falls and related slip, trip, and fall risks were central to the danger, with slips, trips, and falls driving 27% of injuries and falls accounting for 38% of construction fatalities.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). Personal Injury Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/personal-injury-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "Personal Injury Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/personal-injury-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "Personal Injury Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/personal-injury-statistics.
Sources & references
1 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level