Fatal motor vehicle accidents are always tragic, but the unfortunate news is that they are not uncommon. They lead to a surprising number of deaths every year.
To start, here are the top five causes of death in the United States. These statistics are from 2017:
- Heart disease. A total of 647,457 deaths.
- Cancer: A total of 599,108 deaths.
- Accidents: A total of 169,936 deaths.
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases: A total of 160,201 deaths.
- Stroke: A total of 146,383 deaths.
Please note that accidents as listed above, which rank third overall, take into account far more than just car accidents. They include all deaths due to unintentional injuries. That means that things like surgical errors and ladder falls are also in that number. Even so, it is telling that accidents in general rank so highly, showing just how unpredictable life can be.
How many of those deaths do come from car accidents? The numbers change every year, of course, but they tend to come in right around 40,000. Another way to look at that is by noting that, on average, just under 110 people die in these accidents every single day, all year long.
With risks like that, the odds are high that you will get injured in a car accident and/or lose a loved one. These types of crashes touch many lives. While financial compensation can never take away the pain of that type of loss, it can help you cover lost wages, funeral costs and the like, so it is important to understand all of the legal rights you have.