According to a new government safety report, injuries from motor vehicle accidents result in an estimated $18 billion in lifetime medical costs, and result in Americans spending one million days in the hospital every year. The report, released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on October 7, suggests that more than 2.5 million people visited the emergency room in the United States in 2012, and nearly 200,000 were hospitalized that same year due to injuries from auto accidents. If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident in Atlanta, Marietta, or elsewhere in Georgia, consult our skilled car accident lawyers at Rechtman & Spevak today. With our law firm on your side, you can protect your legal rights and seek fair and timely reimbursement for your injuries.
Auto Accident Injuries, Fatalities
“In 2012, nearly 7,000 people went to the emergency room every day due to car crash injuries,” said CDC Principle Deputy Director Ileana Arias. “Motor vehicle crash injuries occur all too frequently and have health and economic costs for individuals, the health care system, and society. We need to do more to keep people safe and reduce crash injuries and medical costs.” In the CDC report, the agency indicates that, for every person killed in a car accident in 2012, eight people were hospitalized, and 100 people were treated and released from emergency departments nationwide. Furthermore, each visit to the emergency room cost roughly $3,300, and each hospitalization cost about $57,000.
Preventing Car Accident Injuries in Georgia
Despite the alarming statistics presented in the CDC report, the findings by the agency do suggest that a downward trend in the rate of emergency room visits, hospitalizations and deaths from auto accident injuries. In fact, there were 400,000 fewer emergency room visits from auto accident injuries in 2012 than there were in 2002, a decrease that saved Americans $1.7 billion in lifetime medical costs and $2.3 billion in costs associated with missed days at work. Even so, the CDC report suggested that more could be done to bring those numbers down even further, recommending that states make efforts to do the following:
- Require car seat or booster seat use for all children younger than 8 and less than 57 inches tall
- Increase seat belt use through primary enforcement seat belt laws
- Set up sobriety checkpoints and establish media campaigns in support of traffic safety laws
- Employ graduated driver licensing laws to improve safety among teen drivers
Our Experienced Car Accident Attorneys Can Help
In Georgia alone, more than six million people were involved in car accidents between 2000 and 2008, either as a driver, passenger or pedestrian, which amounts to an average of 2,394 car accident victims every day. If you have suffered injuries in a Georgia car accident, or if you lost a loved one in a fatal car wreck, contact our knowledgeable attorneys at Rechtman & Spevak for legal help. You may have grounds to file a personal injury or wrongful death suit against the person or party found at-fault in the accident, in order to pursue financial compensation for your injuries and medical expenses.
