Wrongful Death Statistics

Airbag Statistics
May 2003

• Over 137 million (63.6%) of the more than 215 million cars and light trucks on U.S. roads have driver airbags. Over 115 million (53.8%) of these also have passenger airbags. Another 1 million new vehicles with airbags are being sold each month.
• Deaths in frontal crashes are reduced about 26 percent among drivers using safety belts and about 32 percent among drivers without belts.
• Deaths in frontal crashes are reduced about 14 percent among right front passengers using their belts and about 23 percent among passengers without belts. However, deaths are about 34 percent higher than expected among child passengers younger than 10.
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 10,789 people are alive today because of their airbags..
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the combination of an airbag plus a lap/shoulder belt reduces the risk of serious head injury by 85 percent compared with a 60 percent reduction for belts alone.
• Since 1990, 229 deaths reportedly have been caused by airbags inflating in low severity crashes. These deaths include 78 drivers, 10 adult passengers, 119 children, and 22 infants.
• Of the 78 drivers killed by airbags, (58 females, 20 males), 51 are believed to have been unbelted, 21 were belted, and 4 misused their seatbelts (2 used the lap belt only, and 2 used the shoulder belt only). Two of the belted drivers were unconscious and slumped over their steering wheels so they were on top of their airbags. Belt use is unknown for the other two drivers. Pre-impact braking was involved in 23 cases.
• Of the 10 adult passengers killed by passenger airbags 8 were females (6 were older than 65 years-old) and 2 were males ages 57 and 85. Six adult passengers are believed to have been unbelted, 3 were belted, and 1 was improperly belted (had shoulder belt under the arm). Seven of the incidents involved pre-impact braking.
• Of the 119 children killed by passenger airbags, 91 are believed to have been unbelted; 24 children were improperly belted; and 3 were belted and one case is unknown. Twenty-one of the unbelted children were seated in the lap of a front passenger and three were unbelted and on the lap of the driver. Improper belt use includes 13 cases where the child was using lap/shoulder belts only; and 3 children had the shoulder belt positioned under their arm. In two cases the children shared the lap belt with another passenger. The remaining cases involving belt misuse are those where the belt and/or the forward facing child safety seats were misused. Most of these crashes involved pre-impact braking.
• Of the 22 infants killed by airbags, 13 are believed to be restrained in rear-facing infant seats; 4 in rear-facing restraints on laps; 4 were not properly secured in rear-facing restraints and 1 unknown if properly restrained. Fifteen cases involved pre-impact braking and in 1 case pre-impact braking is unknown.

Cigarette Smoking Statistics

In the United States, an estimated 26.0 million men (25.7 percent) and 22.7 million women (21.0 percent) are smokers. These people are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke. The latest estimates for persons age 18 and older show...*
• Among whites, 25.8 percent of men and 21.6 percent of women smoke.
• Among black or African Americans, 28.7 percent of men and 20.8 percent of women smoke.
• Among Hispanics, 24.1 percent of men and 12.3 percent of women smoke.
• Among Asians/Pacific Islanders, 24.3 percent of men and 7.1 percent of women smoke.
• Among American Indians/Alaska Natives, 40.9 percent of men and 40.8 percent of women smoke.
• Studies show that smoking prevalence is higher among those with 9-11 years of education (35.4 percent) compared with those with more than 16 years of education (11.6 percent). It's highest among persons living below the poverty level (33.3 percent).
• The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse shows that, during 1988-96 among persons 12-17 years old, first-time use increased by 30 percent and first daily use increased by 50 percent. More than 6,000 people under age 18 try a cigarette each day, and each day more than 2,000 persons under age 18 become daily smokers. If trends continue, about 5 million of these people will eventually die from a disease attributed to smoking.

Lung Cancer Lawyer Statistics

In 2003, an estimated 21,100 Canadians (12,200 men; 9,000 women) will be diagnosed with lung cancer and 18,800 (10,900 men; 7,900 women) will die of it.

On average, 406 Canadians (235 men; 173 women) will be diagnosed with lung cancer every week. On average, 362 Canadians (210 men; 152 women) will die of lung cancer every week.

One in 18 women will develop lung cancer during her lifetime. One in 20 will die of it.

One in 11 men will develop lung cancer during his lifetime. One in 12 will die of it.

Lung cancer, the most preventable of all human cancers, remains the leading cause of cancer death for both sexes in 2003. Almost one-third of the cancer deaths in men, and almost one-quarter of the cancer deaths in women, are due to lung cancer alone.

Since 1988, among women, lung cancer incidence rates have risen by 30% and death rates have increased by 46%.

Since 1988, among men, lung cancer incidence rates have dropped 22% and death rates have dropped 17 %

SUV Rollover Statistics

regarding rollovers in trucks, vans and SUVs:
45 percent of car occupant fatalities in single-vehicle crashes involve rollover, compared to 60 percent for pickup trucks, 65 percent for vans, and 79 percent for sport utility vehicles (SUVs).
Estimates ... are that 16 percent of light vehicles in police-reported single-vehicle crashes rolled over. The estimated risk of rollover differs by vehicle type: 13 percent of cars and 14 percent of vans in police-reported single-vehicle crashes rolled over, compared to 24 percent of pickup trucks and 30 percent of SUVs.
Analyses of crash databases and measurement of rollover propensity metrics indicate that fifteen-passenger vans might be more likely to roll over when fully loaded with occupants than when lightly loaded. For all occupant loadings, fifteen-passenger vans have an overall rollover ratio comparable to that of all light trucks and vans (LTVs). Analysis considering the number of occupants in the vehicle showed that fifteen-passenger vans with ten or more occupants had three times the rollover ratio than those with fewer than ten occupants.

If you have suffered financial or emotional distress due to the negligence of others in South Dakota, contact our lawyer now and obtain a free case evaluation.

	Did You Know?
	Family members can file a wrongful death suit. This depends on individual state law, but in general the immediate family members (spouses, children and parents) can file a wrongful death claim. Some states allow grandparents, legal dependants and extended family members to file.