Accidents

Although an injury or death wasn’t intended, people and businesses may be legally responsible to accident victims. If another person or corporation is responsible for an accident hurting or killing someone, Weitz & Luxenberg may be able to help you obtain compensation.

When people experience a traumatic brain injury in an accident, they may need financial help to cope with medical and living needs.

Weitz & Luxenberg’s expert airline law attorney obtained a major settlement for a woman who was injured when a suitcase fell from an overhead bin in an airplane and hit her on the head. The firm also secured millions for a man who fell from an apartment building’s second-story walkway.

Workplace

Thousands of workers are killed on the job every year. There were 5,486 fatal occupational work injuries in 2022, according to federal government statistics. The government calculated 3.7 fatal work injuries for every 100,000 full-time equivalent workers. ⁽¹⁾

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) keeps records of all reported on-the-job deaths. Some examples from 2022 and 2023:

• A worker died after falling from a ladder and hitting his head in New York.
• A working man was crushed between rollers in New Jersey.
• A worker was killed in Iowa when he was crushed by a falling pallet stacker.
• Two workers were struck and killed by trains while repairing tracks. ⁽²⁾

Data from 2022 indicates most fatal injuries at work involved transportation: 1,620 deaths resulted from transportation and materials moving incidents. There were 865 fatalities due to work related falls, specifically falls from higher levels. Another 738 people died from contact with objects or equipment. ⁽³⁾

Workplace deaths can be caused in a myriad of ways, some very unexpected. For example, between 2019 and 2023, 19 people died on the job in incidents involving insects. Most of these were from bee stings. ⁽⁴⁾

Occupations with high numbers of on-the-job fatalities included transportation and materials moving, construction and extraction, protective services, installation, maintenance, and repairs. The farming, fishing, and forestry occupational category had the highest fatality rate, with 23.5 fatalities per 100,000 workers in 2022. ⁽⁵⁾

Shopping

Supermarkets and malls can be hazardous to the public. Accidental injuries and even deaths can happen in those establishments if the proprietors aren’t careful in making their stores safe for customers.

In 2022, there were 174 preventable deaths in the retail industry, according to the National Safety Council. ⁽⁶⁾

One example of retail incidents involves vehicle crashes. Data shows over 100 vehicles per day crash into retail and commercial buildings, resulting in 16,000 injuries and 2,600 fatalities annually, according to the Storefront Safety Council. ⁽⁷⁾ The preventative measures retail establishments are urged to implement include ensuring parking and pick-up/drop-off points are located away from buildings. ⁽⁸⁾

Even grocery store shopping carts pose a substantial hazard to children. One study found over 24,000 children younger than 15 are treated annually in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to shopping carts. ⁽⁹⁾ In 78.1% of these cases, the injuries were to the head region.

Slips, trips, and falls are a leading cause of injuries, especially in parking lots. There are steps to take to help prevent such injuries. These are some recommendations: ^{(10) (11)}

1. Paint all wheel stops, curbs, and speed bumps — in parking lots where pedestrians walk — in contrasting colors using slip resistant paint.
2. Promptly replace broken lights in the parking lot.
3. Inspect for and address trip hazards in parking lots — such as cracked pavement, potholes, and differences in elevation.
4. Promptly remove snow and ice — and apply salt, sand, or other deicers — to make sure walking surfaces are safe.
5. Assign an employee during a storm to keep track of all driveways, parking lots, and walkways surfaces — to keep them clear.
6. Continuously inspect floors — particularly in areas where liquids are likely to spill — to ensure they are slip-resistant.
7. Stack items safely — for example, place heavy loads on lower or middle shelves.
8. Keep aisles and passageways clear.

Highways

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 42,795 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2022. This put the U.S. crash fatality rate at 1.35 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Also, 23 states were expected to have increases in traffic fatalities in 2022, according to NHTSA. ^{(12) (13)}

Among other NHTSA findings, these categories showed fatality increases in 2022 as compared with the first half of 2021: ⁽¹⁴⁾

• 12% on rural interstates.
• 10% in crashes involving at least one large truck.
• 8% of cyclists.
• 5% of motorcyclists.
• 2% of pedestrians.

Motor vehicle crashes were a leading cause of death for children age 14 and younger in 2021, at a total of 1,184 deaths. “An average of 3 children were killed and an estimated 445 children were injured every day in traffic crashes in 2021,” according to NHTSA data. ⁽¹⁵⁾

When you travel on any highway, you are trusting people you don’t know to exercise the same caution as you do — so everyone arrives safely at their destinations. But that trust isn’t always rewarded.

According to government data, over 5,788 people were killed in crashes involving large trucks in the United States in 2021, a 17% increase from 2020. Of these victims killed, 72% were occupants of other vehicles. ⁽¹⁶⁾

Truck drivers involved in crashes were less likely to have a history of license suspensions and lower alcohol levels than other drivers. However, they were more likely to have been involved in more vehicle crashes than drivers of other types of vehicle. ⁽¹⁷⁾

On the other end, motorcyclists make up 14% of fatalities. The total number of motorcyclist fatalities in 2021 went up by 8 % to 5,932. ⁽¹⁸⁾

The federal government estimates motor vehicle crashes cost $340 billion in lost productivity, workplace losses, legal and court expenses, medical costs, emergency medical services, insurance administration, congestion, and property damage. ⁽¹⁹⁾

Alcohol contributed to the cost estimate at $68.9 billion. It was followed by speeding at $46 billion. ⁽²⁰⁾

In 2021, 40% of fatal crashes happened in rural areas and 60% in urban areas. It’s estimated 20% of the population lives in rural areas. Overall, rural areas saw a 5% increase in traffic fatalities, while urban areas saw a 14% increase. ⁽²¹⁾