Articles Tagged with pedestrians over the age of 50 are more likely to fall

While pedestrians overall are more likely to be injured in auto accidents, older pedestrians above the age of 50 are more likely to suffer serious personal injuries when they are involved in slip and fall accidents, compared to auto accidents.

There has been much focus recently on personal injuries involving pedestrians in car accidents.  The increase in pedestrian accidents is being blamed for an overall spike in the number of people being personally injured in auto accidents across the country.  Researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health analyzed data involving pedestrians who had suffered personal injuries in slip and fall accidents, and compared the data with the numbers involving pedestrians involved in auto accidents.

The Columbia University study found that while the risk to pedestrians involved in auto accidents remains high, the overall public burden is greater when older pedestrians are injured in slip and falls in comparison. The study found that 32 percent of pedestrian personal injuries in  auto accidents were defined as “emergency” or   “critical”.  In  comparison, 19% of persons  who suffered slip and falls had personal injuries that were defined as  “emergency” or “critical.”  However, pedestrians above the age of 50 in fall accidents were 3.9 times more likely to suffer  “emergent” or “critical” injuries,   compared to ones who had been involved in auto accidents. In fact, the Columbia University study described as alarming the number of older pedestrians who suffered serious personal injuries after fall accidents and needed emergency care.