The impact of injuries

• Injuries account for more years of potential life lost before age 65 than all causes of cancer and all causes of heart disease combined.
• Every year more than 142,000 Americans die because of injuries, and another 80,000 are permanently disabled.
• Each year, more than 57 million people--one fourth of the nation's residents--are injured, and 2.3 million people are hospitalized due to injuries.
• Injuries in this country account for more than $44 billion in direct health-care costs.
• The total cost of firearm injuries in the United States in 1990 was an estimated $20.4 billion. This includes $1.4 billion for health care, $1.6 billion due to disability, and $17.4 billion in lost productivity due to premature death.

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