Accident at Work to Car Crash: What are the Most Common Injury Types?

Accidents can happen at any time anywhere. Whether you’re doing something you’ve done countless times or you’re trying something new, whether at work or at the weekend, there is no telling when you might find yourself in need of medical assistance.

In 2018/19, there were 24.8 million attendances at UK A&E departments, according to the NHS. This was a rise of 4% from 2017/18 and a huge 21% increase from 2009/10. This shows how we are increasingly finding ourselves at risk of being injured.

Accidents at work

Accidents at work are often some of the most serious, with certain types more so than others. Falling from a height is the reason for the highest number of fatalities at work – responsible for 40 deaths in 2018/19, according to the Health and Safety Executive. This is followed by being struck by a moving vehicle (30 deaths) and being struck by a moving object (16 deaths).

Meanwhile, contact with moving machinery killed 14 people in this period and being trapped by something overturning or collapsing was responsible for 11 deaths.

When it comes to non-fatal injuries, slips, trips and falls on the same level caused the highest number at work in 2017/18, at 31%. This is according to the most recent HSE statistics. Behind this type of fall was handling, lifting or carrying injuries (21%) and those injuries caused by being struck by a moving object (10%).

Falling from a height caused 8% of injuries, while acts of violence were responsible for 7% of injuries.

With 147 fatal accidents happening in the workplace in 2018/19 and a total of 626,062 non-fatal injuries reported in 2017/18, it is evident that despite employers having a responsibility to keep workers safe, they are still struggling to prevent accidents at work.

Road traffic accidents

In 2018, there were 25,484 serious injuries in road traffic accidents reported to the police in 2018, according to the Department for Transport. There were 1,782 deaths that took place on the roads last year.

There was a total of 160,378 casualties of all severities in these accidents in 2018. However, despite it looking like a high number, it is 6% lower than the number of those reported the year before, while also being the lowest on record.

Car occupants made up 44% of the road deaths, while pedestrians accounted for 25%. Some 20% of fatalities occurred to motorcyclists, while bicyclists made up 6%. Although car occupants made up the highest proportion of those killed on the roads, it’s the other road users who have always been more vulnerable.

Car occupants travelled a total of 255 billion passenger miles and saw 777 fatalities in 2018. Pedestrians travelled 13 billion miles and saw 454 fatalities, a far bigger proportion. Bicyclists travelled 3 billion miles and saw 99 fatalities, while motorcyclists travelled the same distance but 354 were killed. This shows that these three groups are far more vulnerable than those in cars.

Other injuries

Brain injury charity Headway revealed that in 2016/17 – its most recent statistics – that there were 348,453 admissions to hospital for acquired brain injury. The organisation found that there were 954 admissions per day in this period for a head injury. This equated to one admission every 90 seconds.

Meanwhile, the National Water Safety Forum found that across the UK, 585 people died in water-related incidents in 2018. Rivers proved to be the most dangerous body of water, claiming 74 lives. The highest number of fatalities was found among the 25-29 age group, at 27. Among those 27, 17 fatalities were found to have a reported presence of alcohol or drugs.

As this shows, there are risks associated with daily life. You may find yourself suffering an injury while at work, on the road or even during your leisure time. This could then stop you being able to work and have a huge impact on your life.

If this has affected you, First4Lawyers could help you get the compensation you deserve. To discuss your options, just give us a call, request a call back at the top of your screen or start your claim here.