No parent wants to see his or her child injured, and, as you raise your children, keeping them safe and healthy is probably your number one goal. However, children are injured in Connecticut every day, so it’s important to know a few key facts about these injuries.
— About 90 percent of the injuries that children suffer are entirely accidental and unintentional.
— When children pass away from their injuries, the leading causes are car crashes, drowning, falls, burns and poisoning.
— For children from 10 to 19 years old, traffic accidents are a leading cause of injury and the number one cause of death.
— Half of the children who end up in the emergency room in a given year are there because they fell. This includes falls down the stairs, falls while playing on trampolines and other such toys and many other types of falls.
— Many children who are accidentally poisoned — due to getting into cleaning chemicals, for instance — can be saved if their parents call the hotline and get help on the phone. However, some must be brought into the hospital.
— Children who are living in poverty have a greater chance of being injured than those who are wealthy. There are many reasons for this, including the conditions where they live and whether or not they have their own space to play.
— Injury rates have been falling in many countries.
If your child is injured by someone else, such as when another driver causes a car accident, be sure you know what type of compensation you may be able to seek.
Source: WHO, “10 facts on injuries to children,” accessed June 26, 2015