Did you know that the leading cause of death for children in New York is injury? Nothing else is more deadly for young people year in and year out. Below are a few key stats that help to paint this picture.
— Dog bite injuries send 6,600 people who are under 20 years old to the hospital on an annual basis, and that’s just in New York State alone. Over 200 have to stay in the hospital because the injuries are so bad.
— More than 140 children who are not yet 1-year-old end up in the hospital for at least a one-night stays because of burn injuries. Over 430 per year end up in emergency rooms for treatment, and then they’re released. Contact burns and scalds are most common with children who are under 4 years old.
— Injuries in car accidents send around 10 babies–under 1-year-old–to the emergency room every week. About 15 end up having extended hospital stays yearly.
— Falls are also a big deal. Every year, approximately 120 children end up in the hospital because of a fall, and that’s just looking at those between 1 and 4 years old. For kids who are 14 and under, falls are right near the top of the list when looking at injury-related hospitalizations, ranking third.
Parents work very hard to keep their children safe and injury free, but it’s not always enough. Negligence by others can sometimes cause injury and send a child to the emergency room. In these situations, parents must know how to seek compensation for the medical costs and the injury to the child.
Source: New York Department of Health, “Child Injury Prevention in New York State,” accessed June 14, 2016
