1 Keeping our children safe and helping them liv

CDC Childhood 

LTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

ONTROL AND PREVENTION

E

E 

US DEPARTMENT OF H

CENTERS FOR DISEAS

intentional Injuries 

 Year Olds in the 

ates, 2000-2006 A

C

Patterns of Un

among 0-19

United St

e to their full potential

Injury Report:
1

CDC Childhood

Injury Report:

Patterns of Unintentional Injuries among 0-19 

Year Olds in the United States, 2000-2006

Nagesh N. Borse, Ph.D. M.S.

Julie Gilchrist, MD

Ann M. Dellinger, Ph.D.

Rose A. Rudd, MSPH

Michael F. Ballesteros, Ph.D.

David A. Sleet, Ph.D.

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention

Atlanta, GA

December 2008
2

The CDC Childhood Injury Report: Patterns of Unintentional Injuries among 0-19 

Year Olds in the United States, 2000-2006 is a publication of the National Center for 

Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH, Director

Coordinating Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention

Henry Falk, MD, MPH, Director

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Ileana Arias, PhD, Director

Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention

Grant Baldwin, PhD, MPH, Director

Authors

Nagesh N. Borse, Ph.D. M.S.

Julie Gilchrist, MD

Ann M. Dellinger, Ph.D.

Rose A. Rudd, MSPH

Michael F. Ballesteros, Ph.D.

David A. Sleet, Ph.D.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following individuals: 

Grant Baldwin, Laurie Beck, Rebecca Boyd, Shelley Hammond, Michele Huitric, Scott 

Kegler, Shelly Prescod, Chet Pogostin, Caryll Rinehart, Robert Thomas, Karen Thomas, 

James Tobias, Kevin Webb, Bethany West, and Dionne Williams

Suggested Citation: Borse NN, Gilchrist J, Dellinger AM, Rudd RA, Ballesteros MF, 

Sleet DA. CDC Childhood Injury Report: Patterns of Unintentional Injuries among 0 -19 

Year Olds in the United States, 2000-2006. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 2008.
3

Summary

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children in 

the United States. This report uses data from the National Vital Statistics System and the 

National Electronic Injury Surveillance System - All Injury Program to provide an overview of 

unintentional injuries related to drowning, falls, fi res or burns, transportation-related injuries, 

poisoning, and suffocation, among others during the period 2000 - 2006. Results are presented 

by age group and sex, as well as the geographic distribution of injury death rates by state.

Some of the key fi ndings from this report include the following: 

Injury Deaths

• On average, 12,175 children 0 to 19 years of age died each year in the U.S. from an 

unintentional injury.

• Males had higher injury death rates than females.

The death rate for males was almost two times the rate for females, and males had a 

higher injury death rate compared to females in all childhood age groups.

• Injuries due to transportation were the leading cause of death for children.

The highest death rates were among occupants of motor vehicles in traffi c. There 

were also a substantial number of pedestrian and pedal cyclist deaths among children. 

Combining all unintentional injury deaths among those between 0 and 19 years, motor 

vehicle traffi c-related deaths were the leading cause. 

• The leading causes of injury death differed by age group.

For children less than 1 year of age, two-thirds of injury deaths were due to suffocation. 

Drowning was the leading cause of injury death for those 1 to 4 years of age. For children 

5 to 19 years of age, the most injury deaths were due to being an occupant in a motor 

vehicle traffi c crash. 

• Risk for injury death varied by race.

Injury death rates were highest for American Indian and Alaska Natives and were lowest 

for Asian or Pacifi c Islanders. Overall death rates for whites and African-Americans were 

approximately the same.

• Injury death rates varied by state depending upon the cause of death.

Overall, states with the lowest injury death rates were in the northeast. Fire and burn 

death rates were highest in some of the southern states. Death rates from transportationrelated injuries were highest in some southern states and some states of the upper plains, 

while lowest rates occurred in states in the northeast region.
4

• For injury causes with an overall low burden, death rates greatly varied by age.

The poisoning death rate for those older than 15 years of age was at least fi ve times the 

rates of the younger age groups, and the suffocation death rate for those less than 1 year 

was over 16 times the rates for all older age groups.

Nonfatal Injuries

• An estimated 9.2 million children annually had an initial emergency department visit 

for an unintentional injury. 

• Males generally had higher nonfatal injury rates than females.

For children 1 to 19 years of age, nonfatal injury rates were higher among males than 

females, while the rates were approximately the same for those less than 1 year.

• Injuries due to falls were the leading cause of nonfatal injury.

Each year, approximately 2.8 million children had an initial emergency department visit 

for injuries from a fall. For children less than 1 year of age, falls accounted for over 50% 

of nonfatal injuries.

• The majority of nonfatal injuries were from fi ve causes.

Falls was the leading cause of nonfatal injury for all age groups less than 15. For children 

ages 0 to 9, the next two leading causes were being struck by or against an object and 

animal bites or insect stings. For children 10 to 14 years of age, the next leading causes 

were being struck by or against an object and overexertion. For children 15 to 19 years of 

age, the three leading causes of nonfatal injuries were being struck by or against an object, 

falls, and motor vehicle occupant injuries. 

• Nonfatal injury rates varied by age group.

Nonfatal suffocation rates were highest for those less than 1 year of age. Rates for 

injuries from fi res or burns and drowning were highest for children 4 years and younger. 

Children 1 to 4 years of age had the highest rates of nonfatal falls and poisoning. Injury 

rates related to motor vehicles was highest in children 15 to 19 years of age.
5

Foreword

Injuries are among the most under-recognized public health problems facing the United States 

today. About 20 children die every day from a preventable injury – more than die from all 

diseases combined.(1) Injuries requiring medical attention or resulting in restricted activity 

affect approximately 20 million children and adolescents and cost $17 billion annually in 

medical costs.(2) 

Today we recognize that these injuries, like the diseases that once killed children, are predictable, 

preventable and controllable. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention works 

closely with other federal and state agencies, national, state and local organizations and research 

institutions to reduce deaths and nonfatal injuries, disabilities and costs of childhood injuries in 

the United States. 

The release of this CDC Childhood Injury Report coincides with the launch of the World Report 

on Child Injury Prevention (2008) developed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF.(3) 

Our report complements the World Report and highlights the nature of the problem in the United 

States. 

The CDC report can inform the work of practitioners, policy-makers, elected offi cials, and 

researchers to better understand the problem and take the necessary steps to reduce the 

devastating burden childhood injuries place on this nation. 

Grant Baldwin, Ph.D., MPH

Director

Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
6

Contents

1: About this Report .................................................................................................14

2: Methods .................................................................................................................16

3: Comparison of External Cause of Injury Mortality Matrix and the

Modifi ed Matrix .....................................................................................................20

4: Unintentional Injury Deaths among Children 0 to 19 Years,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ...................................................................................24

4.1: Injury Deaths by Age Group .........................................................................................24

4.2: Injury Deaths by Sex and Age Group ...........................................................................26

4.3: Injury Deaths by Cause .................................................................................................27

4.4: Injury Deaths by Cause and Sex ...................................................................................29

4.5: Injury Deaths by Age Group and Cause .......................................................................33

4.6: Injury Deaths by Race and Sex .....................................................................................34

4.7: Injury Deaths by State ...................................................................................................35

4.8: Analysis by Age group ..................................................................................................38

 4.8.1: Injury Deaths among Children Less Than 1 Year ..............................................38

 4.8.2: Injury Deaths among Children 1 to 4 Years .......................................................41

 4.8.3: Injury Deaths among Children 5 to 9 Years .......................................................44

 4.8.4: Injury Deaths among Children 10 to 14 Years ...................................................47

 4.8.5: Injury Deaths among Children 15 to 19 Years ...................................................50

4.9: Analysis by Cause .........................................................................................................53

 4.9.1: Injury Deaths due to Drowning ..........................................................................53

 4.9.2: Injury Deaths due to Falls ..................................................................................56

 4.9.3: Injury Deaths due to Fires or Burns ...................................................................57

 4.9.4: Injury Deaths due to Poisoning ..........................................................................60

 4.9.5: Injury Deaths due to Suffocation........................................................................63

 4.9.6: Injury Deaths related to Transportation ..............................................................66

5: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Estimates among Children 0 to 19 Years,

United States, 2001 – 2006 ...................................................................................77

5.1: Nonfatal Injuries by Age Group ....................................................................................77

5.2: Nonfatal Injuries by Sex and Age Group ......................................................................79

5.3: Nonfatal Injuries by Cause ............................................................................................81

5.4: Nonfatal Injuries by Sex and Cause ..............................................................................82

5.5: Nonfatal Injuries by Age Group and Cause ..................................................................83
7

5.6: Analysis by Age Group .................................................................................................84

 5.6.1: Nonfatal Injuries among Children Less Than 1 Year .........................................86

 5.6.2: Nonfatal Injuries among Children 1 to 4 Years ..................................................87

 5.6.3: Nonfatal Injuries among Children 5 to 9 Years ..................................................88

 5.6.4: Nonfatal Injuries among Children 10 to 14 Years ..............................................89

 5.6.5: Nonfatal Injuries among Children 15 to 19 Years ..............................................90

5.7: Analysis by Cause .........................................................................................................91

 5.7.1: Nonfatal Injuries due to Bites or Stings .............................................................91

 5.7.2: Nonfatal Drowning .............................................................................................92

 5.7.3: Nonfatal Injuries due to Falls .............................................................................93

 5.7.4: Nonfatal Injuries due to Fire or Burns ...............................................................94

 5.7.5: Nonfatal Poisoning .............................................................................................95

 5.7.6: Nonfatal Injuries due to being Struck by or Against an Object .........................96

 5.7.7: Nonfatal Suffocation ..........................................................................................97

 5.7.8: Nonfatal Injuries related to Transportation ........................................................98

References .................................................................................................................102

Appendices ................................................................................................................104

Appendix 1. Cause of Unintentional Injury Death Categories based on ICD-10

External Cause-of-Injury Codes ................................................................................................105

Appendix 2: Categorization of Cause of Death: Numbers of Deaths from

Unintentional Injuries among Children 0 to 19 Years, United, States, 2000 – 2005 .................106

Appendix 3: Number of Unintentional Injury Deaths among Children 0 to 19 Years,

by State and Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ...............................................................107

Appendix 4: Number of Unintentional Injury Deaths among Children 0 to 19 Years,

by State and Cause, United States, 2000 – 2005 .......................................................................108

Appendix 5: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children

0 to 19 Years, by Sex and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 ..................................................109
8

List of Tables

Table 1: Death Rates and Average Annual Number of Deaths Compared

using the External Cause of Injury Mortality Matrix and the Modifi ed Matrix ..........................20

Table 2. Leading Causes of Unintentional Injury Death among Children

0 to 19 Years using the External Cause of Injury Mortality Matrix, by Age Group,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................21

Table 3: Leading Causes of Unintentional Injury Death among Children

0 to 19 Years using the Modifi ed Matrix, by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ...............22

Table 4: Leading Causes of Unintentional Injury Deaths among Males

0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................31

Table 5: Leading Causes of Unintentional Injury Deaths among Females

0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................32

Table 6: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years,

by Age Group and Cause, United, States, 2001 – 2006 ...............................................................83

Table 7: Leading Causes of Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries among Children

0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2001 – 2006 ..........................................................85

List of Figures

Figure 1: Cause of Death by Injury Status and Intent among Children 1 to 19 Years,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................15

Figure 2: Cause of Death by Injury Status and Intent among Children Less Than 1 year,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................16

Figure 3: Percent of Unintentional Injury Deaths among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age

Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ..............................................................................................24

Figure 4: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................25

Figure 5: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Sex and Age 

Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ..............................................................................................26

Figure 6: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Cause,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................27

Figure 7: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Cause,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................28
9

Figure 8: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Sex and

Cause, United States, 2000 – 2005 ..............................................................................................29

Figure 9: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group

and Cause, United States, 2000 – 2005 .......................................................................................33

Figure 10: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group

and Selected Causes, United States, 2000 – 2005 .......................................................................34

Figure 11: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Race and

Sex, United States, 2000 – 2005 ..................................................................................................35

Figure 12: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by State,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................36

Figure 13: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children Less Than 1 Year, by Cause, 

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................38

Figure 14: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children Less Than 1 Year, by State,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................39

Figure 15: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 1 to 4 Years, by Cause,

United States, 2000 – 2005 .........................................................................................................41

Figure 16: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 1 to 4 Years, by State,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................42

Figure 17: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 5 to 9 Years, by Cause,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................44

Figure 18: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 5 to 9 Years, by State,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................45

Figure 19: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 10 to 14 Years, by Cause,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................47

Figure 20: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 10 to 14 Years, by State,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................48

Figure 21: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 15 to 19 Years, by Cause,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................50

Figure 22: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 15 to 19 Years, by State,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................51

Figure 23: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Drowning among Children 0 to 19

Years, by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ......................................................................53
10

Figure 24: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Drowning among Children 0 to 19

Years, by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 ................................................................................54

Figure 25: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Falls among Children 0 to 19 Years,

by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 .................................................................................56

Figure 26: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Fires or Burns among Children

0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................57

Figure 27: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Fires or Burns among Children

0 to 19 Years, by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 ....................................................................58

Figure 28: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Poisoning among Children 0 to 19

Years, by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ......................................................................60

Figure 29: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Poisoning among Children 0 to 19

Years, by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 ................................................................................61

Figure 30: Unintentional Injury Death Rates Due to Suffocation among Children

0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................63

Figure 31: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Suffocation among Children 0 to

19 Years, by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 ...........................................................................64

Figure 32: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Transportation-related Injuries

among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ...............................66

Figure 33: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Transportation-related Injuries among 

Children 0 to 19 Years, by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 .....................................................67

Figure 34: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Motor Vehicle Traffi c-Occupant

Injuries among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ..................69

Figure 35: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Motor Vehicle Traffi c-Occupant

Injuries among Children 0 to 19 Years, by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 ............................70

Figure 36: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Pedal Cyclist Injuries among Children

0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................72

Figure 37: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Pedestrian Injuries among Children

0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................73

Figure 38: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Pedestrian Injuries among Children

0 to 19 Years, by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 ....................................................................74

Figure 39: Percent of Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries by Age Group, Children 0 to 19

Years, United States, 2001 – 2006 ...............................................................................................77
11

Figure 40: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age

Group, United States, 2001 – 2006 ..............................................................................................78

Figure 41: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Sex,

United States, 2001 – 2006 ..........................................................................................................79

Figure 42: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age

Group and Sex, United States, 2001 – 2006 ................................................................................80

Figure 43: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Cause,

United States, 2001 – 2006 ..........................................................................................................81

Figure 44: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Sex

and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 .......................................................................................82

Figure 45: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children Less Than 1 Year, by

Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 ..............................................................................................86

Figure 46: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 1 to 4 Years, by Cause,

United States, 2001 – 2006 ..........................................................................................................87

Figure 47: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 5 to 9 Years, by Cause,

United States, 2001 – 2006 ..........................................................................................................88

Figure 48: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 10 to 14 Years, by Cause,

United States, 2001 – 2006 ..........................................................................................................89

Figure 49: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 15 to 19 Years, by Cause,

United States, 2001 – 2006 ..........................................................................................................90

Figure 50: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Bites and Stings among Children

0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2001 – 2006 ..........................................................91

Figure 51: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Drowning among Children 0 to 19

Years, by Age Group, United States, 2001 – 2006 ......................................................................92

Figure 52: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Falls among Children 0 to 19 Years,

by Age Group, United States, 2001 – 2006 .................................................................................93

Figure 53: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Fires or Burns among Children 0 to

19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2001 – 2006 .................................................................94

Figure 54: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Poisoning among Children 0 to 19

Years, by Age Group, United States, 2001 – 2006 ......................................................................95

Figure 55: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to being Struck by or Against an

Object among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2001 – 2006 ....................96
12

Figure 56: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Suffocation among Children 0 to

19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2001 – 2006 .................................................................97

Figure 57: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Transportation-related Injuries

among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2001 – 2006 ...............................98

Figure 58: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Motor Vehicle - Occupant Injuries

among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2001 – 2006 ...............................99

Figure 59: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Pedal Cyclist Injuries among

Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2001 – 2006 .........................................100

Figure 60: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Pedestrian Injuries among

Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2001 – 2006 .........................................101

List of Maps

Map 1: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by State,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................37

Map 2: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children Less Than 1 Year, by State,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................40

Map 3: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 1 to 4 Years, by State,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................43

Map 4: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 5 to 9 Years, by State, United

States, 2000 – 2005 ......................................................................................................................46

Map 5: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 10 to 14 Years, by State,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................49

Map 6: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 15 to 19 Years, by State,

United States, 2000 – 2005 ..........................................................................................................52

Map 7: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Drowning among Children 0 to 19 Years,

by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 ...........................................................................................55

Map 8: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Fires or Burns among Children 0 to 19

Years, by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 ................................................................................59

Map 9: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Poisoning among Children 0 to 19 Years,

by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 ...........................................................................................62

Map 10: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Suffocation among Children 0 to 19

Years, by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 ................................................................................65
13

Map 11: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Transportation-related Injuries among

Children 0 to 19 Years, by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 .....................................................68

Map 12: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Motor Vehicle Traffi c – Occupant

Injuries among Children 0 to 19 Years, by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 ............................71

Map 13: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Pedestrian Injuries among Children

0 to 19 Years, by State, United States, 2000 – 2005 ....................................................................75

List of Appendices

Appendix 1. Cause of Unintentional Injury Death Categories based on ICD-10 External

Cause-of-Injury Codes ...............................................................................................................105

Appendix 2. Categorization of Cause of Death: Numbers of Deaths from Unintentional

Injuries among Children 0 to 19 Years, United States, 2000–2005 ...........................................106

Appendix 3: Number of Unintentional Injury Deaths among Children 0 to 19 Years, by

State and Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ....................................................................107

Appendix 4: Number of Unintentional Injury Deaths among Children 0 to 19 Years, by

State and Cause, United States, 2000 – 2005 ............................................................................108

Appendix 5: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years,

by Sex and Cause, United States 2001 – 2006 ..........................................................................109
14

1: About this Report

Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children and 

adolescents in the United States.(4) A thorough understanding of the demographics of the groups 

most at risk for common injury causes can help direct resources toward research and programs 

most likely to reduce the burden. 

This report was produced in part to coincide with the release of a World Report on Child 

Injury Prevention (WHO, 2008).(3) This report provides an overview of patterns of childhood 

unintentional injury in the United States related to drowning, falls, fi res or burns, transportation 

(e.g. motor vehicle crashes), poisoning, and suffocation, among others. 

The burden of deaths and nonfatal injuries due to each cause is shown in this report by age group 

and sex, as well as the geographic distribution of injury death rates by state. Information on 

injury deaths is from the National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System 

(i.e. death certifi cate data), and nonfatal injury information is from the National Electronic Injury 

Surveillance System – All Injury Program, which represents nonfatal injuries treated in U.S. 

hospital emergency departments. While use of emergency department data does not capture 

the burden of all injuries (such as those treated at medical care sites other than emergency 

departments or those that did not seek care), this information combined with deaths can be 

helpful to state and local health offi cials and advocates in prioritizing programs targeting their 

at-risk populations, to researchers tracking trends or evaluating prevention activities, to policymakers at all levels determining the best use of limited public health resources, as well as the to 

general public in identifying injury prevention strategies for themselves, their families and their 

communities. 
15

In the United States, injuries continue to be the leading cause of death among children.(6,7) 

Among those 1 to 19 years of age, 44% of all deaths are due to unintentional (i.e., accidental) 

injuries. (Fig 1) (4) For infants, the proportion of deaths due to injury is much less, with only 

4% of infant deaths due to unintentional injuries. (Fig 2) Approximately 9.2 million nonfatal 

injuries are treated in emergency departments each year among children 0 to 19 years of age, 

translating to an annual nonfatal injury rate of 11,272 per 100,000 population.(4) The estimated 

cost of unintentional childhood injuries approached $300 billion annually in the United States.(2) 

Figure 1: Cause of Death by Injury Status and Intent * among 

Children 1 to 19 Years, United States, 2000 - 2005 †

Non-Injury

(n = 57,373)

38%

Intentional Injury

(n = 27,222)

18%

Unintentional Injury

(n = 67,169)

44%

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

* Analysis Excluded Unknown Intent

and Legal Intervention / Operations of 

War = 1,668 Deaths

† Infants less than 1 year of age were not 

included in this analysis

The Importance of Childhood Injury Prevention

Worldwide, childhood injuries are a growing problem. Every year, approximately 875,000 

children are killed and nonfatal injuries affect the lives of between 10 million and 30 million 

more globally.(5) Moreover, 95% of these deaths and injuries occur in low and middle income 

countries.(5) Childhood injuries are also a problem in high income countries such as the United 

States, where approximately 12,000 children die annually from unintentional injury-related 

causes.(4)
Figure 2: Cause of Death by Injury Status and Intent * among 

Children Less than 1 Year, United States, 2000 - 2005

Unintentional Injury

(n = 5,883)

4%

Intentional Injury

(n = 1,956)

1%

Non-Injury

(n = 159,667)

95%

* Analysis Excluded Undetermined = 532 Deaths

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

16

2: Methods

Data used in this report were obtained from two sources. Death data from 2000 – 2005 came 

from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), National Vital Statistics System, annual 

mortality fi les (www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/dvs/Vitalstatsonline.htm).(8) Nonfatal data from 

2001 – 2006 came from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System - All injury Program 

(NEISS-AIP).(9) From both data sources, information was analyzed for infants, children and 

adolescents between the ages of 0 to 19 years. They are reported in fi ve age groups: less than 

1 year, 1 to 4 years, 5 to 9 years, 10 to 14 years, and 15 to 19 years, and are all referred to as 

‘children’ throughout the report.
17

Death Data

Unintentional injury deaths included in this report are those for which the underlying cause of 

death recorded on death certifi cates by a physician or coroner was coded as one of the following 

International Classifi cation of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes: drowning (W65-W74), 

falls (W00-W19), fi res or burns (X00-X19), transport-related injuries (V01 –V99), poisoning 

(X40-X49) and suffocation (W75-W84).(10) All other causes of injuries (i.e., cut or pierced, 

unintentional fi rearm, machinery, natural and environmental, overexertion, struck by or against 

an object, other specifi ed and unspecifi ed) were combined and reported as “other injury deaths”. 

The fi rst fi ve categories represent frequent causes of injury death worldwide and are addressed 

in the World Report on Child Injury Prevention (WHO, 2008) (http://www.who.int/violence_

injury_prevention/en/)(3); suffocation was also included in this report because it was the leading 

cause of injury death in the U.S. population for children less than 1 year of age. Causes of death 

are presented in the report, fi gures and tables in alphabetical order.

Causes of injury death were categorized fi rst using the External Cause of Injury Mortality Matrix 

(http:www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/otheract/Ice/matrix10.htm).(11, 12) Then for this report we used 

a “Modifi ed Matrix” where transportation-related injury deaths were reported as a combined 

category (“Transportation-related”) and in subgroups including Motor Vehicle Traffi c (MVT)-

Occupant, Pedestrian, Pedal Cyclist, Transportation-other, and MVT-unspecifi ed. Deaths from 

pedestrian injuries and pedal cyclist injuries included both traffi c (on public roadways) and nontraffi c (off public roadways) motor vehicle incidents, as well as other types of transportationrelated pedestrian and pedal cyclist injuries. Some of these transportation categories appearing 

here differ from the External Cause of Injury Mortality Matrix categories in order to combine 

and present all pedestrian and pedal cyclist injuries both on and off public roadways. Injury 

deaths categorized using both the Modifi ed Matrix approach and the External Cause of Injury 

Mortality Matrix were compared to understand how this change would affect death rates. A 

detailed listing of ICD-10 codes for all categories used in this report is presented in Appendix 1. 

The number of injury deaths categorized by both the External Cause of Injury Mortality Matrix 

and the Modifi ed Matrix is presented in Appendix 2.

It is important to note that death certifi cate data undercount deaths to MVT-Occupants. Death 

certifi cates include a large number of deaths categorized as “motor vehicle unspecifi ed,” which 

mainly include motor vehicle occupants.(13) The rates and numbers in this report have not been 

adjusted to account for this; therefore, MVT-Occupant deaths are underrepresented here.

Death data were analyzed by age group, sex, cause, race, and state. ArcGIS was used for geomapping of death rates by cause and age group for each state. Figures and text presenting death 

data by race should be interpreted with caution. Misclassifi cation of race can occur in both death 
18

certifi cate data and in population estimates leading to inaccurate death rates by race. A discussion 

of the validity of race in death data has been presented elsewhere.(14)

Nonfatal Data

NEISS-AIP is operated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which collects case 

data about initial visits for all types and causes of injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency 

departments (ED). Data are drawn from a nationally representative subsample of 66 hospitals 

out of 100 NEISS hospitals that were selected as a stratifi ed probability sample of hospitals in 

the United States and its territories; the hospitals have a minimum of six beds and a 24-hour ED. 

Each case was assigned a sample weight on the basis of the inverse probability of selection; these 

weights were summed to provide national estimates.(9) Due to the data source, the nonfatal 

injury data in this report represent only those initial injuries treated in U.S. hospital EDs; injuries 

for which medical care was sought at other sites or not at all are not included. Therefore, these 

data are an underestimate of all nonfatal injuries in the United States. 

Categories of nonfatal injuries examined included injuries from bites or stings, being cut 

or pierced, drowning, falls, fi res or burns, poisoning, being struck by or against an object, 

suffocation, transportation-related injuries (motor vehicle occupant, pedal cyclist, pedestrian, 

other), other injuries (i.e., foreign bodies, gunshot wounds, machinery, natural or environmental, 

overexertion, and other specifi ed), and unknown or unspecifi ed. Transportation-related injuries 

included both traffi c- and nontraffi c-related injuries. A defi nition of each of these categories is 

available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/nonfatal/defi nitions.htm#nonfatalcause. Nonfatal 

data were examined by age group, sex, and cause. Because a large percentage of NEISS-AIP 

records lacked information on the race of the injured child, information by race is not presented 

using nonfatal data. Additionally, because NEISS-AIP is a nationally representative sample, no 

data are available for analysis at the state level. 

Rate Calculations and Statistics

Population estimates for rate calculations are from Bridged-Race Postcensal Population 

Estimates of the United States for April 1, 2000, and July 1 for 2001 through 2006. These 

estimates were produced by the U.S. Census Bureau under a collaborative arrangement with 

NCHS (www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/dvs/popbridge/popbridge.htm). 

Rates presented are annualized rates for the years of data used in the analysis (i.e., 2000-2005 

for deaths, 2001-2006 for nonfatal injuries). In this report, death rates were rounded to and 

presented as a single decimal place, unless the rate was greater than 0.00 but less than 0.05 in 

which case two decimal places are presented.
19

If the terms “higher” or “lower” are used, a statistically signifi cant difference between the 

rates was determined. For nonfatal categories and fatal categories with 100 or more deaths, 

a nondirectional, 2-tailed z test was used with signifi cance set at the p<0.05 level. When 

there were fewer than 100 deaths, non-overlapping confi dence intervals based on the gamma 

distribution was used to indicate a signifi cant difference between rates. 

Some rate estimates may be unreliable (i.e., unstable) due to a small number of events (i.e., 

deaths or initial emergency department visits) occurring in a category. For death rates, estimates

were suppressed in tables and fi gures or fl agged in maps if they were based on fewer than 20 

deaths. Appendices 3 and 4 list the number of deaths in each state by age group or cause. For 

nonfatal rates, estimates were fl agged as unreliable if either the estimated number (based on 

weighted data) of initial emergency department visits was less than 1,200 or the coeffi cient of 

variation of the estimate was greater than 30%. Appendix 5 presents the estimated number of 

nonfatal unintentional injuries and rates by age group and sex.
20

3: Comparison of External Cause of Injury Mortality Matrix and 

the Modifi ed Matrix

Table 1 compares the injury death rates and number of deaths by causes for the External Cause of 

Injury Mortality Matrix and Modifi ed Matrix.(11,12) Injury death rates for transportation causes 

differed only slightly when comparing the categorization in two matrices.

Table 1: Death Rates and Average Annual Number of Deaths Compared using the External 

Cause of Injury Mortality Matrix and the Modified Matrix 

The External Cause of Injury Mortality Matrix* The Modified Matrix 

Rate† (average annual 

 number of deaths) 

Rate† (average annual 

number of deaths) 

Drowning

Falls 

Fires/Burns 

MV Traffic-related‡

 MVT-Occupant 

 MVT-Unspecified 

 MVT-Pedal Cyclist 

 MVT-Pedestrian

 MVT-Other

Poisoning

Suffocation 

║ Other Injuries

 1.4 (1,150) 

0.2 (187) 

0.7 (592) 

 9.1 (7,317) 

4.6 (3,724) 

3.1 (2,486) 

0.2 (162) 

0.9 (724)

0.3 (221)

 0.7 (606) 

1.2 (956) 

 1.7 (1,368) 

Drowning 

Falls 

Fires/Burns 

Transportation-related§

MVT-Occupant 

 MVT-Unspecified

 Pedal Cyclist

 Pedestrian

 Transportation-Other

Poisoning 

Suffocation 

Other Injuries¶

1.4 (1,150)

0.2 (187) 

0.7 (592)

9.8 (7,979)

4.6 (3,724)

3.1 (2,486)

0.2 (196)

1.2 (953)

0.8 (620)

0.7 (606)

1.2 (956) 

0.9 (704)

All Injuries 15.0 (12,175) All Injuries 15.0 (12,175) 

* Fingerhut L. ICD Framework: External Cause of Injury Mortality Matrix [Online]. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health 

Statistics. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/otheract/Ice/matrix10.htm †

 Rate Per 100,000 Population 

‡

 MV Traffic-related includes MVT-Occupant; MVT-Unspecified; MVT-Pedal Cyclist; MVT-Pedestrian and MVT injuries (MVTMotorcyclist; MVT-other) §

 Transportation-related includes MVT-Occupant; MVT-Unspecified; Pedal Cyclist (MVT and Other); Pedestrian (MVT & Other) 

and Other Transportation-related injuries (MVT-Motorcyclist; MVT-other; Other Land Transportation and Other Transport) ║

 Other injuries Include Cut/Pierce; Other Pedal Cyclist; Other Pedestrian; Other Land Transportation; Other Transport; 

Firearms, Machinery; Natural/Environmental; Overexertion; Stuck By/Against; Other Specified, Classifiable; Other Specified, Not 

Elsewhere Classified and Unspecified ¶

 Other injuries Include Cut/Pierce; Firearms; Machinery; Natural/Environmental; Overexertion; Stuck By/Against; Other 

Specified, Classifiable; Other Specified, Not Elsewhere Classified and Unspecified 

Data source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, 2000-2005 

 
21

Table 2 shows the leading causes of unintentional injury deaths by age group using the External 

Cause of Injury Mortality Matrix. Suffocation was ranked fi rst for children less than 1 year of 

age, while MVT-related deaths were fi rst for all other age groups. In order to understand how 

some subcategories of Transportation-related death rates differ with other causes of unintentional 

injury, the Modifi ed Matrix is used in all subsequent data presented in this report. 

Table 3 shows the leading causes of unintentional injury deaths by age group using the Modifi ed 

Matrix. Suffocations was still ranked fi rst for infants. However, drowning was the leading cause 

of death for children 1 to 4, and MVT-Occupant ranked fi rst for the older age groups.

Table 2: Leading Causes of Unintentional Injury Death among Children 0 to 19 Years using 

the External Cause of Injury Mortality Matrix, by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 

Age Group in Years 

Rank Less Than 1 

(n = 5,883) 

1 to 4 

(n = 10,203) 

5 to 9 

(n = 7,144) 

10 to 14 

(n = 9,088) 

15 to 19 

(n = 40,734) 

1 Suffocation MVT-related MVT-related MVT-related MVT-related 

66% 31% 53% 58% 76% 

2 MVT-related Drowning Other Injuries 

 15% 

 Other Injuries 

18% 

 Other Injuries 

9%

 Poisoning 

7% 

 Drowning 

5% 

 Falls 

1%

Fires or Burns 

1% 

 Suffocation 

1% 

14% 27%

3 Drowning Other Injuries 

 15% 

 Fires or Burns Drowning 

7% 13% 10% 

4 Other Injuries 

6% 

Fires or Burns Drowning Fires or Burns 

14% 13% 6% 

5 Fires or Burns Suffocation Suffocation Suffocation 

4% 8% 4% 4%

6 Poisoning Falls 

 2% 

 Falls 

1% 

 Poisoning 

2% 2% 

7 Falls 

2% 

Poisoning Poisoning Falls 

2% 1% 2% 
22

Modified Matrix, by Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 

Table 3: Leading Causes of Unintentional Injury Death among Children 0 to 19 Years using the 

Age Group in Years 

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 Rank 

(n=5,883) (n=10,203) (n=7,144) (n=9,088) 

Suffocation Drowning MVT - Occupant MVT - Occupant M

P

Fi

Oth

M

P

MVT

V

e

Suf

P

dal 

r

e

V

o

fo

e

Dr

T -

s

F

T

1

1

11

a

5

%

/

55

de

6

7

C

I

 - U

%

c

er 

ow

%%

%

%%

s

%

-

iso

2841

lls 

n

c

(n=40

ning 

n

t

 O

B

a

%

y

u

ju

rian 

Ot

% 

clist

t

c

on i

sp

% 

rns

,734)

ecif

 15 to 19 

ries

he

ning 

r

ied

upant 1 

66% 27% 22% 26% 

MVT - Occupant Pedestrian MVT - Unspecified MVT - Unspecified 2 8% 15% 15% 15% 

Drowning Fires/Burns Pedestrian Pedestrian 3 7% 14% 14% 12% 

MVT - Unspecified MVT - Occupant Fires/Burns Drowning 4 5% 13% 13% 10% 

Other Injuries MVT - Unspecified Drowning MVT - Other 5 5% 9% 13% 9% 

Fires/Burns Suffocation Other Injuries Other Injuries 6 4% 8% 7% 8% 

Poisoning Other Injuries MVT - Other Fires/Burns 7 

2% 8% 6% 6% 

Falls Falls Pedal Cyclist Pedal Cyclist 8 2% 2% 4% 6% 

Pedestrian Poisoning Suffocation Suffocation 9 1% 2% 4% 4% 

MVT - Other MVT - Other Falls Poisoning 10 0.5% 2% 1% 2% 

Pedal Cyclist Pedal Cyclist Poisoning Falls 11 

0.02% 0.3% 1% 2% 
23

Unintentional Injury Deaths, 2000 – 2005
24

4: Unintentional Injury Deaths among Children 0 to 19 Years, 

United States, 2000 – 2005

4.1: Injury Deaths by Age Group

The proportion of unintentional injury deaths represented by each age group varied. Of the 

73,052 deaths among children 0 to 19 years of age during 2000-2005, 40,374 deaths (56%) 

occurred among those 15 to 19 years, followed by 10,203 (14%) among those 1 to 4 years of age. 

(Fig 3)

Figure 3: Percent of Unintentional Injury Deaths among 

Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 

2000 - 2005

Less Than 1 Year

(n = 5,883)

8%

1 to 4 Years

(n = 10,203)

14%

5 to 9 Years

(n = 7,144)

10%

15 to 19 Years

(n = 40,734)

56%

10 to 14 Years

(n =9,088)

12%

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System
25

The death rate for unintentional injury was 15.0 per 100,000 children. The rate was highest 

among those 15 to 19 years (33.1 per 100,000) followed by those less than 1, 1 to 4, 10 to 14, 

respectively, and lowest among those 5 to 9 years. (Fig 4)

Figure 4: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 

0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2000 - 2005

33.1

7.2 6.0

10.8

24.4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

 Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Death Rate per 100,000 Population 

Overall Rate 

15.0 per 100,000

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System
26

4.2: Injury Deaths by Sex and Age Group

Males had higher death rates compared to females in all age groups. The overall death rate 

among males 0 to 19 years was 19.3 per 100,000 and among females 10.4 per 100,000. When 

examining rates by sex and age group, the death rate was highest among males 15 to 19 years 

(rate 45.1 per 100,000). (Fig 5)

Figure 5: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 

0 to 19 Years, by Sex and Age Group, United States, 

2000 - 2005

21.8

8.7

4.9 5.2

20.3

26.9

12.9

7.0

9.2

45.1

-

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Less

Than 1

1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19 Less

Than 1

1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Female Male

Age Group in Years

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System
27

4.3: Injury Deaths by Cause

Death rates differed by cause, with the highest rates related to injuries due to transportation (9.8 

per 100,000) and the lowest rates related to falls (0.2 per 100,000). (Fig 6)

Figure 6: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 

0 to 19 Years, by Cause, United States, 2000 - 2005

1.4

0.2

0.7 0.9 0.8

1.2

9.8

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Drowning Falls Fires or Burns Other Injuries Poisoning Suffocation Transportationrelated

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System
28

In the fi gure that follows, transportation-related injuries are divided into several categories based 

on the road user type: MVT occupants, pedal cyclists, pedestrians, and others. For some deaths 

the road user type was unknown; these deaths were designated “MVT-unspecifi ed.” A large 

proportion of these deaths are likely MVT occupant deaths.(13) When transportation-related 

injuries were examined by road user type, occupants of motor vehicles that were in crashes 

represented the highest death rate (death rate: 4.6 per 100,000). (Fig 7)

Figure 7: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 

0 to 19 Years, by Cause, United States, 2000 - 2005

1.4

0.2

0.7

4.6

3.1

0.9

0.2

1.2

0.8

1.2

0.8

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

Drowning

Falls

Fires or Burns

MVT - Occupant *

MVT - Unspecified *

Other Injuries

Pedal cyclist *

Pedestrian *

Poisoning

Suffocation

Transportation-Other *

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

* Categories were combined and 

defined as 'Transportation-related Injuries' as per the Modified Matrix Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System
29

4.4: Injury Deaths by Cause and Sex

Males had higher death rates compared with females for each individual cause examined. The 

highest rate for both males and females was among those with MVT occupant injuries (5.6 and 

3.6 per 100,000, respectively). Males had death rates that were three times higher for fall-related 

injuries and four times higher for pedal cyclists and other motor vehicle injuries than females. 

(Fig 8)

Figure 8: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 

0 to 19 Years, by Sex and Cause, United States, 2000 - 2005

0.3

5.6

3.7

0.4

1.5

1.1

1.4

1.2

0.8

0.1

0.6

3.6

2.4

0.4

0.1

0.8

0.4

0.9

0.3

1.3

0.8

2.0

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

Drowning

Falls

Fires or Burns

MVT - Occupant

MVT - Unspecified

Other Injuries

Pedal cyclist

Pedestrian

Poisoning

Suffocation

Transportation-Other

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Male

Female

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System
30

The rankings of the leading causes of death also differed for males compared with females. 

While the leading cause was similar for males and females (suffocation: less than 1 year, 

drowning: 1 to 4 years, MVT occupants: 5 years and older), the rankings differed beginning at 

the second ranked cause. Notably among children 1 to 4 years of age, pedestrian injuries were 

ranked second for males and fourth for females. For children 5 to 9 years of age, drowning 

ranked second for males and fi fth for females. (Tables 4 and 5)
31

1% 

Table 4: Leading Causes of Unintentional Injury Deaths among Males 0 to 19 Years, by Age 

Group, United States, 2000 - 2005 

Age Group in Years 

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 Rank 

(n = 3,316) (n = 6,206) (n = 4,289) (n = 5,904) 

Suffocation Drowning MVT - Occupant MVT - Occupant 1 67% 29% 19% 22% 

MVT - Occupant Pedestrian Drowning MVT - Unspecified MVT

M

Fi

P

V

e

re

da

Suf

Pe

Oth

M

Dr

V

P

e

o

f

d

s

l

F

o

T -

11

o

25

e

/

a

6

6

7

B

%

Cy

% %

% 

st

%

In

% 

wning 

%

r

ju

n

ri

s

cation

esr 

-

lls

 Oc

u

c

c

T 

8% 

isoning 

 - Un

Ot

26% 

sp

38% 

list

he

rian 

r

ecified

upant 

(n = 28,555) 

15 to 19 

2 8% 16% 15% 13% 

Drowning Fires/Burns Pedestrian Pedestrian 3 6% 13% 15% 12% 

Other Injuries MVT - Occupant Fires/Burns Drowning 4 

5% 10% 13% 12% 

MVT - Unspecified Suffocation MVT - Unspecified MVT - Other 5 5% 8% 13% 10% 

Fires/Burns Other Injuries Other Injuries Other Injuries 6 3% 8% 8% 10% 

Poisoning MVT - Unspecified MVT - Other Pedal Cyclist 7 2% 8% 6% 8% 

Falls Falls Pedal Cyclist Suffocation 8 2% 3% 5% 5% 

Pedestrian Poisoning Suffocation Fires/Burns 9 1% 2% 4% 5% 

MVT - Other MVT - Other Falls Poisoning 10 0.4% 2% 2% 2% 

Pedal Cyclist Pedal Cyclist Poisoning Falls 11 

0.03% 0.3% 1% 2% 
32

0.4%

Table 5: Leading Causes of Unintentional Injury Deaths among Females 0 to 19 Years, by Age 

Group, United States, 2000 - 2005 

Age Group in Years 

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 Rank 

(n = 2,567) (n = 3,997) (n = 2,855) (n = 3,184) 

Suffocation Drowning MVT - Occupant MVT - Occupant 1 64% 24% 26% 33% 

MVT - Occupant MVT - Occupant MVT - Unspecified MVT - Unspecified MVT

M

Pe

P

P

d

Su

Fi

D

r

Oth

M

V

V

e

al Cy

f

r

e

foca

1%

2%

r In

des

o

T -

1% 

a

1% 3%

lls F

owning 

e

1% 

s/

5% 

OtT 

B

- r

trian 

 - Un

47% 

 Oc

t

u

6% 

isoning 

32% 

15 to 19 

 clist

c

on i

sp

r

ju

ns 

ries 

he

ecif

upant 

(n = 12,179) 

ied 2 9% 16% 18% 20% 

Drowning Fires/Burns Pedestrian Pedestrian 3 7% 15% 14% 12% 

MVT - Unspecified Pedestrian Fires/Burns Fires/Burns 4 

6% 14% 13% 8% 

Other Injuries MVT - Unspecified Drowning Drowning 5 5% 11% 9% 7% 

Fires/Burns Suffocation Other Injuries MVT - Other 6 4% 8% 6% 7% 

Poisoning Other Injuries MVT - Other Other Injuries 7 2% 7% 5% 5% 

Falls Poisoning Suffocation Poisoning 8 2% 2% 3% 3% 

Pedestrian Falls Pedal Cyclist Suffocation 9 1% 2% 2% 2% 

MVT - Other MVT - Other Poisoning Pedal Cyclist 10 1% 1% 2% 2% 

Pedal Cyclist Pedal Cyclist Falls Falls 11 

0.00% 0.3% 1% 1% 
33

4.5: Injury Deaths by Age Group and Cause

The death rate for transportation-related injuries was highest among those 15 years and older 

while the death rate for suffocation was dramatically lower after the fi rst year of life. Injury 

death rates from fi res or burns and drowning both peaked among children 1 to 4 years of age. 

Unintentional poisoning death rates peaked among the 15 to 19 year olds. Transportation-related 

injuries among 15 to 19 were more than 5 times the rate of those 10 to 14. (Fig 9 and 10)

Figure 9: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 

0 to 19 Years, by Age Group and Cause, United States, 

2000 - 2005

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

 Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Fires or Burns

Drowning

Falls

Transportation-related

Poisoning

Suffocation

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System
34

In order to more easily see some of these changes by age group, Fig 10 shows the death rates for 

the four causes with rates less than 3.0 per 100,000: burns, drowning, falls and poisoning.

Figure 10: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 

0 to 19 Years, by Age Group and Selected Causes, 

United States, 2000 - 2005

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

 Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Fires or Burns

Drowning

Falls

Poisoning

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

4.6: Injury Deaths by Race and Sex

Among all races, males had higher death rates than females. Among all racial groups, the death 

rate was highest for American Indian or Alaska Native males (29.8 per 100,000). Among females, 

only American Indian or Alaska Native females had higher death rates than the national average. 

The rate was lowest among Asian or Pacifi c Islander females (5.4 per 100,000). (Fig 11)
35

Figure 11: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 

0 to 19 Years, by Race and Sex, United States, 2000 - 2005

19.7

10.6

19.2

10.4

29.8

18.1

9.9

5.4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

White Male White

Female

Black Male Black

Female

American

Indian or

Alaska

Native Male

American

Indian or

Alaska

Native

Female

Asian or

Pacific

Islander

Male

Asian or

Pacific

Islander

Female

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population 

Overall Rate 

15.0 per 100,000

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

4.7: Injury Deaths by State

The U.S. death rate was 15.0 per 100,000 population. State injury death rates varied from 7.2 

per 100,000 to 28.8 per 100,000. (Fig 12 and Map 1) Appendix 3 presents the number of injury 

deaths by age group and state.
36

Figure 12: Unintentional Injury Death Rates 

among Children 0 to 19 Years, by State, 

United States, 2000 - 2005

26.7

23.9

26.4

18.2

10.4

14.6

8.9

9.2

15.8

18.7

17.7

11.0

15.2

19.3

12.0

17.1

19.5

23.1

23.8

7.2

10.8

15.1

14.8

21.2

28.8

24.6

18.2

17.3

16.7

10.9

8.2

20.5

16.1

8.0

21.8

15.4

9.2

22.0

27.6

21.6

16.6

14.7

12.9

15.0

21.4

24.8

13.6

13.9

13.7

13.2

13.6

- 5 10 15 20 25 30

AK

AL

AR

AZ

CA

CO

CT

DC

DE

FL

GA

HI

IA

ID

IL

IN

KS

KY

LA

MA

MD

ME

MI

MN

MO

MS

MT

NC

ND

NE

NH

NJ

NM

NV

NY

OH

OK

OR

PA

RI

SC

SD

TN

TX

UT

VA

VT

W

WI

WV

WY

Overall Rate 

15.0 per 100,000

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System
37
38

4.8: Analysis by Age Group

4.8.1: Injury Deaths among Children Less Than 1 Year

The U.S. death rate for children less than 1 year of age was 24.4 per 100,000. Males in this age 

group had a rate of 26.9 per 100,000 and females a rate of 21.8 per 100,000. (Fig 5) The death 

rate due to suffocation was 16.1 per 100,000. (Fig 13)

Figure 13: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among 

Children Less Than 1 Year, by Cause, United States, 

2000 - 2005

1.6

0.4

0.9 1.3

0.5

16.1

3.7

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Drowning Falls Fires or Burns Other 

Injuries

Poisoning Suffocation Transportationrelated

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

In this age group, the state death rates varied from 6.1 per 100,000 to 92.6 per 100,000. (Fig 14 

and Map 2)
39

Figure 14: Unintentional Injury Death Rates 

among Children Less Than 1 Year, by State, 

United States, 2000 - 2005

92.6

34.2

42.3

26.0

10.9

11.1

37.3

29.5

31.0

28.9

29.9

44.4

27.9

40.3

41.5

6.1

12.3

49.2

26.4

44.4

36.1

25.7

38.3

9.0

32.3

37.3

40.5

39.1

26.8

61.9

23.8

23.5

20.6

17.0

16.2

16.3

18.9

18.2

22.9

23.1

10.8

18.5

- 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

AK

AL

AR

AZ

CA

CO

CT

DC *

DE *

FL

GA

HI

IA

ID

IL

IN

KS

KY

LA

MA

MD

ME *

MI

MN

MO

MS

MT *

NC

ND *

NE *

NH *

NJ

NM

NV

NY

OH

OK

OR

PA

RI *

SC

SD

TN

TX

UT

VA

VT *

WA

WI

WV

WY

Overall Rate

24.4 per 100,000

* The injury death rate is suppressed

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System if fewer than 20 deaths were reported
40
41

4.8.2: Injury Deaths among Children 1 to 4 Years

The U.S. death rate for children 1 to 4 years of age was 10.8 per 100,000. Males in this 

age group had a rate of 12.9 per 100,000 and females a rate of 8.7 per 100,000. (Fig 5) 

Transportation-related injuries resulted in the highest death rate (4.2 per 100,000). (Fig 15)

Figure 15: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 

1 to 4 Years, by Cause, United States, 2000 - 2005

3.0

0.3

1.5

0.8

0.2

0.9

4.2

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

Drowning Falls Fires or Burns Other 

Injuries

Poisoning Suffocation Transportationrelated

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

In this age group, the state death rates varied from 4.4 per 100,000 to 24.4 per 100,000. (Fig 16 

and Map 3)
42

Figure 16: Unintentional Injury Death Rates 

among Children 1 to 4 Years, by State, United 

States, 2000 - 2005

17.8

18.4

21.7

14.6

8.8

8.6

5.4

16.2

14.0

8.0

14.3

8.0

14.2

14.7

20.7

6.8

8.0

12.5

24.4

12.4

11.0

10.8

5.0

14.0

11.0

5.7

15.2

11.5

13.7

22.6

14.0

13.1

12.4

8.7

8.7

11.8

14.5

9.4

9.5

9.8

9.0

9.1

9.7

9.3

4.4

12.7

- 5 10 15 20 25 30

AK

AL

AR

AZ

CA

CO

CT

DC *

DE

FL

GA

HI

IA

ID

IL

IN

KS

KY

LA

MA

MD

ME

MI

MN

MO

MS

MT

NC

ND *

NE

NH *

NJ

NM

NV

NY

OH

OK

OR

PA

RI *

SC

SD

TN

TX

UT

VA

VT *

WA

WI

WV

WY

Overall Rate

10.8 per 100,000

* The injury death rate is suppressed

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System if fewer than 20 deaths were reported
43
44

4.8.3: Injury Deaths among Children 5 to 9 Years

The U.S. death rate for children 5 to 9 years of age was 6.0 per 100,000. This age group had the 

lowest death rate among all age groups. Males 5 to 9 years of age had a death rate of 7.0 per 

100,000 and females a rate of 4.9 per 100,000. (Fig 5) Transportation-related injuries resulted in 

the highest death rate (3.6 per 100,000). (Fig 17) 

Figure 17: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 

5 to 9 Years, by Cause, United States, 2000 - 2005

0.8

0.1

0.8

0.4

0.1

0.2

3.6

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

Drowning Falls Fires or Burns Other 

Injuries

Poisoning Suffocation Transportationrelated

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

In this age group, the state death rates varied from 2.1 per 100,000 to 16.0 per 100,000. (Fig 18 

and Map 4)
45

Figure 18: Unintentional Injury Death Rates 

among Children 5 to 9 Years, 

by State, United States, 2000 - 2005

7.4

9.2

10.7

7.5

4.4

2.8

6.3

7.3

8.1

8.6

4.3

6.1

7.6

8.7

10.9

2.1

6.5

6.2

7.3

13.6

9.7

7.2

11.2

8.8

4.4

3.3

7.6

4.7

3.4

9.4

5.9

8.7

16.0

7.5

7.2

6.1

6.3

9.3

5.5

4.8

4.9

5.3

5.3

5.1

5.1

- 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

AK

AL

AR

AZ

CA

CO

CT

DC *

DE *

FL

GA

HI *

IA

ID

IL

IN

KS

KY

LA

MA

MD

ME

MI

MN

MO

MS

MT

NC

ND

NE

NH

NJ

NM

NV

NY

OH

OK

OR

PA

RI *

SC

SD

TN

TX

UT

VA

VT *

WA

WI

WV

WY *

Overall Rate

6.0 per 100,000

* The injury death rate is suppressed

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System if fewer than 20 deaths were reported
46
47

4.8.4: Injury Deaths among Children 10 to 14 Years

The U.S. death rate for children 10 to 14 years of age was 7.2 per 100,000. Males in this age 

group had a rate of 9.2 per 100,000 and females 5.2 per 100,000. (Fig 5) Transportation-related 

injuries resulted in the highest death rate (4.9 per 100,000). (Fig 19)

Figure 19: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 

10 to 14 Years, by Cause, United States, 2000 - 2005

0.7

0.1

0.4 0.6

0.2 0.3

4.9

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Drowning Falls Fires or Burns Other 

Injuries

Poisoning Suffocation Transportationrelated

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

In this age group, the state death rates varied from 3.3 per 100,000 to 20.7 per 100,000. (Fig 20 

and Map 5)
48

Figure 20: Unintentional Injury Death Rates 

among Children 10 to 14 Years, by State, 

United States, 2000 - 2005

20.7

11.4

12.6

9.3

5.2

7.4

3.4

7.6

9.2

7.3

10.8

5.6

6.9

10.1

10.3

12.2

3.3

5.3

4.8

7.6

7.3

9.7

15.6

12.0

9.2

9.0

3.9

11.3

9.5

4.0

9.6

8.1

10.4

19.2

11.1

8.1

7.9

5.3

7.6

5.7

13.3

6.4

6.7

6.4

10.3

6.0

6.7

8.0

- 5 10 15 20 25

AK

AL

AR

AZ

CA

CO

CT

DC

DE

FL

GA

HI

IA

ID

IL

IN

KS

KY

LA

MA

MD

ME

MI

MN

MO

MS

MT

NC

ND

NE

NH

NJ

NM

NV

NY

OH

OK

OR

PA

RI

SC

SD

TN

TX

UT

VA

VT

WA

WI

WV

WY

Overall Rate

7.2 per 100,000

*

* The injury death rate is suppressed

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System if fewer than 20 deaths were reported

*

*

*
49
50

4.8.5: Injury Deaths among Children 15 to 19 Years

The U.S. death rate for children 15 to 19 years of age was 33.1 per 100,000. This age group had 

the highest death rate among all age groups. Males in this age group had a death rate of 45.1 per 

100,000 and females 20.3 per 100,000. (Fig 5) Transportation-related injuries resulted in the 

highest death rate (26.4 per 100,000) (Fig 21) 

Figure 21: Unintentional Injury Death Rates among Children 

15 to 19 Years, by Cause, United States, 2000 - 2005

1.6

0.4 0.4

1.5

2.5

0.3

26.4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Drowning Falls Fires or Burns Other 

Injuries

Poisoning Suffocation Transportationrelated

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

In this age group, the state death rates varied from 16.4 per 100,000 to 57.7 per 100,000. (Fig 22 

and Map 6)
51

Figure 22: Unintentional Injury Death Rates 

among Children 15 to 19 Years, by State, 

United States, 2000 - 2005

45.7

52.7

55.6

40.3

23.3

35.6

23.0

16.4

39.1

40.4

37.9

26.1

32.6

39.6

25.9

41.9

53.3

45.9

18.2

25.0

36.7

47.8

57.7

56.8

42.8

35.9

37.3

25.2

20.0

46.3

36.3

18.1

49.8

33.4

20.2

49.1

46.8

49.0

36.3

26.8

33.2

50.0

48.0

28.6

31.2

28.4

29.0

34.5

31.6

29.6

36.0

- 10 20 30 40 50 60 7

AK

AL

AR

AZ

CA

CO

CT

DC

DE

FL

GA

HI

IA

ID

IL

IN

KS

KY

LA

MA

MD

ME

MI

MN

MO

MS

MT

NC

ND

NE

NH

NJ

NM

NV

NY

OH

OK

OR

PA

RI

SC

SD

TN

TX

UT

VA

VT

W

WI

WV

WY

Overall Rate

33.0 per 100,000

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

0
52
53

4.9: Analysis by Cause

This section describes childhood injury deaths by selected causes in more detail (Fig 6 and 7). 

4.9.1: Injury Deaths due to Drowning

Drowning represented 9% of unintentional injury deaths among children 0 to 19 years of age. 

The death rate for drowning-related injuries was 1.4 per 100,000. Males had death rates nearly 

three times higher than females (2.0 vs. 0.8 per 100,000). (Fig 8) The rate was highest among 

children 1 to 4 years of age (3.0 per 100,000), followed by children less than 1 year and those 15 

to 19 years (1.6 per 100,000). (Fig 23)

Figure 23: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Drowning 

among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 

2000 - 2005

1.6

3.0

0.8 0.7

1.6

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

 Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate 

1.4 per 100,000

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

State death rates from drowning varied from 0.7 per 100,000 to 3.9 per 100,000. (Fig 24 and 

Map 7) 
54

Figure 24: Unintentional Injury Death Rates 

due to Drowning among Children 0 to 19 

Years, by State, United States, 2000 - 2005

3.9

2.0

2.4

2.2

1.0

0.9

2.7

1.8

1.6

1.6

1.0

1.4

1.7

2.3

0.7

0.8

1.0

1.1

2.9

1.9

1.4

0.8

1.1

1.6

0.7

2.2

1.9

0.9

1.9

1.8

1.7

1.3

1.3

1.5

1.6

2.4

1.2

1.2

1.2

1.2

1.3

1.2

1.2

1.3

1.2

- 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0

AK

AL

AR

AZ

CA

CO

CT

DC *

DE *

FL

GA

HI

IA

ID

IL

IN

KS

KY

LA

MA

MD

ME

MI

MN

MO

MS

MT

NC

ND *

NE

NH

NJ

NM

NV

NY

OH

OK

OR

PA

RI *

SC

SD *

TN

TX

UT

VA

VT *

WA

WI

WV

WY

Overall Rate 

1.4 per 100,000

* The injury death rate is suppressed

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System if fewer than 20 deaths were reported
55
4.9.2: Injury Deaths due to Falls

Injuries from falls represented 2% of unintentional injury deaths among children 0 to 19 years of 

age. The death rate for fall-related injuries was 0.2 per 100,000. Males had death rates nearly 

three times higher than females (0.3 vs. 0.1 per 100,000). (Fig 8) The rates were highest among 

children 15 to 19 years of age (0.4 per 100,000) and children less than 1 year (0.4 per 100,000). 

(Fig 25)

Figure 25: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Falls 

among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 

2000 - 2005

0.4

0.3

0.1 0.1

0.4

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

 Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate 

0.2 per 100,000

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

Death rates by state are not presented in a map or fi gure due to the high percentage of states with 

unreliable fall-related death rates. There was very little difference among states with reliable 

fall-related death rates. Appendix 4 presents a listing of the number of deaths per state by cause.

56
57

4.9.3: Injury Deaths due to Fires or Burns

Fire or burn-related injuries represented 5% of the unintentional injury deaths among children 0 

to 19 years of age. The death rate for fi re or burn-related injuries was 0.7 per 100,000. Males 

had a higher death rate than females (0.8 vs. 0.6 per 100,000). (Fig 8) The rate was highest 

among children 1 to 4 years (1.5 per 100,000) and lowest among those over age 10 (0.4 per 

100,000). (Fig 26)

Figure 26: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Fires or 

Burns among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, 

United States, 2000 - 2005

0.9

1.5

0.8

0.4 0.4

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

 Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate 

0.7 per 100,000

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

State death rates from fi re or burn-related injuries varied from 0.2 per 100,000 to 2.4 per 

100,000. (Fig 27 and Map 8)
58

Figure 27: Unintentional Injury Death Rates 

due to Fires or Burns among Children 

0 to 19 Years, by State, United States, 

2000 - 2005

1.2

2.1

0.5

0.2

0.4

1.0

0.8

0.8

1.0

1.1

1.4

2.1

0.3

0.7

1.1

0.5

1.2

2.1

0.8

0.7

0.5

0.9

1.0

0.5

0.8

1.1

2.4

1.3

0.7

0.8

0.5

0.5

1.1

0.6

- 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

AK *

AL

AR

AZ

CA

CO *

CT *

DC *

DE *

FL

GA

HI *

IA

ID *

IL

IN

KS

KY

LA

MA

MD

ME *

MI

MN

MO

MS

MT *

NC

ND *

NE

NH *

NJ

NM *

NV *

NY

OH

OK

OR

PA

RI *

SC

SD

TN

TX

UT *

VA

VT *

WA

WI

WV

WY *

Overall Rate

0.7 per 100,000

* The injury death rate is suppressed

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System if fewer than 20 deaths were reported
59
60

4.9.4: Injury Deaths due to Poisoning

Poisoning represented 5% of the unintentional injury deaths among children 0 to 19 years of 

age. The death rate for poisoning was 0.8 per 100,000. Males had death rates twice as high as 

females (1.1 vs. 0.4 per 100,000). (Fig 8) The rate was highest among children 15 to 19 years of 

age (2.5 per 100,000) and lowest among those 5 to 9 years (0.1 per 100,000). (Fig 28)

Figure 28: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Poisoning 

among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 

2000 - 2005

0.5

0.2

0.1

0.2

2.5

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

 Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate 

0.8 per 100,000

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

State death rates from poisoning varied from 0.2 per 100,000 to 2.1 per 100,000. (Fig 29 and 

Map 9)
61

Figure 29: Unintentional Injury Death Rates 

due to Poisoning among Children 0 to 19 

Years, by State, United States, 2000 - 2005

0.8

1.2

0.4

1.1

1.5

0.5

0.8

0.4

1.4

1.4

0.2

1.4

0.5

0.4

0.8

0.5

1.1

0.9

1.4

1.1

0.4

1.3

1.4

0.8

1.0

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.7

0.6

0.6

0.6

0.6

0.7

0.7

0.7

2.1

- 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

AK

AL

AR

AZ

CA

CO

CT

DC *

DE *

FL

GA

HI *

IA

ID *

IL

IN

KS

KY

LA

MA

MD *

ME

MI

MN

MO

MS

MT *

NC

ND *

NE *

NH *

NJ

NM

NV

NY

OH

OK

OR

PA

RI *

SC

SD *

TN

TX

UT *

VA

VT *

WA

WI

WV

WY *

Overall Rate

0.8 per 100,000

* The injury death rate is suppressed

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System if fewer than 20 deaths were reported
62
63

4.9.5: Injury Deaths due to Suffocation

Suffocation represented 8% of the unintentional injury deaths among children 0 to 19 years of 

age. The death rate for suffocation was 1.2 per 100,000. Males had higher death rates than 

females (1.4 vs. 0.9 per 100,000). (Fig 8) The rate was highest among children less than 1 year 

of age (16.1 per 100,000). Suffocation was the leading cause of injury death in children less than 

1 year of age. (Fig 30)

Figure 30: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Suffocation 

among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 

2000 - 2005

16.1

0.2 0.3 0.3

0.9

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

 Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate 

1.2 per 100,000

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

State death rates from suffocation varied from 0.5 per 100,000 to 4.4 per 100,000. (Fig 31 and 

Map 10)
64

Figure 31: Unintentional Injury Death Rates 

due to Suffocation among Children 0 to 19 

Years, by State, United States, 2000 - 2005

1.6

1.7

1.2

0.5

0.5

1.7

1.3

1.6

0.6

1.4

1.4

2.3

1.5

2.0

2.0

0.5

0.6

2.2

1.5

2.1

1.6

1.3

0.8

0.5

1.7

0.5

1.6

1.2

2.0

1.8

1.8

1.4

0.8

2.6

1.1

1.1

1.1

0.9

1.0

0.9

0.9

0.9

1.0

4.4

- 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0

AK

AL

AR

AZ

CA

CO

CT

DC *

DE *

FL

GA

HI

IA

ID

IL

IN

KS

KY

LA

MA

MD

ME

MI

MN

MO

MS

MT *

NC

ND *

NE

NH

NJ

NM

NV

NY

OH

OK

OR

PA

RI *

SC

SD

TN

TX

UT

VA

VT *

WA

WI

WV

WY

Overall Rate

1.2 per 100,000

* The injury death rate is suppressed

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System if fewer than 20 deaths were reported
65
66

4.9.6: Injury Deaths related to Transportation

Transportation-related injuries represented 66% of the unintentional injury deaths among 

children 0 to 19 years of age. These deaths occur among all road user types (e.g., MVT 

occupants, pedestrians and pedal cyclists) and all vehicle types. The death rate for 

transportation-related injuries was 9.8 per 100,000. Males had death rates nearly twice as high 

than females (12.4 vs. 7.2 per 100,000). The rate was highest among those 15 to 19 years of age 

(26.4 per 100,000) and lowest among those 5 to 9 years and those less than 1 year (3.6 and 3.7 

per 100,000, respectively). (Fig 32)

Figure 32: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to 

Transportation-related Injuries* among Children 0 to 19 Years, 

by Age Group, United States, 2000 - 2005

3.7 4.2 3.6

4.9

26.4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

 Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate 

9.8 per 100,000

* Includes all Motor Vehicle-related and 

Other Transportation-related Injuries Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

State death rates from transportation-related injuries varied from 4.7 per 100,000 to 19.5 per 

100,000. (Fig 33 and Map 11)
67

Figure 33: Unintentional Injury Death Rates 

due to Transportation-related Injuries* 

among Children 0 to 19 Years, by State, 

United States, 2000 - 2005

13.0

15.9

17.7

11.9

7.3

10.9

5.5

5.1

10.8

11.4

11.5

6.6

10.9

13.1

7.1

10.5

13.9

14.7

14.0

5.0

7.8

10.3

14.4

19.5

17.8

12.8

13.2

12.4

6.9

4.7

15.0

10.2

5.1

8.4

14.2

10.0

6.0

14.8

18.6

14.0

11.3

8.1

10.3

15.4

15.8

9.6

8.6

9.3

9.3

9.0

8.6

- 2.5 5.0 7.5 10.0 12.5 15.0 17.5 20.0 22.5

AK

AL

AR

AZ

CA

CO

CT

DC

DE

FL

GA

HI

IA

ID

IL

IN

KS

KY

LA

MA

MD

ME

MI

MN

MO

MS

MT

NC

ND

NE

NH

NJ

NM

NV

NY

OH

OK

OR

PA

RI

SC

SD

TN

TX

UT

VA

VT

W

WI

WV

WY

Overall Rate 

9.8 per 100,000

* Includes all Motor Vehicle-related and 

Other Transportation-related Injuries Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System
68
69

Deaths due to MVT Occupant Injuries

MVT occupant injuries represented 31% of the unintentional injury deaths among children 

0 to 19 years of age. The death rate for MVT occupant injuries was 4.6 per 100,000. Males 

had death rates nearly twice as high as females (5.6 vs. 3.6 per 100,000). (Fig 8) The rate was 

highest among children 15 to 19 years of age (13.5 per 100,000) and lowest among those 5 to 9 

years and those 1 to 4 years of age (1.3 and 1.4 per 100,000, respectively). (Fig 34)

Figure 34: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to 

Motor Vehicle Traffic-Occupant Injuries among Children

0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2000 - 2005

2.1

1.4 1.3

1.9

13.5

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

 Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate 

4.6 per 100,000

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

State death rates from MVT occupant injuries varied from 0.7 per 100,000 to 15.1 per 100,000. 

(Fig 35 and Map 12)
70

Figure 35: Unintentional Injury Death Rates 

due to Motor Vehicle Traffic - Occupant 

Injuries among Children 0 to 19 Years, 

by State, United States, 2000 - 2005

8.2

1.7

2.9

3.5

0.7

7.4

3.1

2.3

8.4

10.1

3.4

4.6

10.3

4.9

2.7

0.9

2.9

7.6

3.6

5.8

8.0

15.1

13.8

8.8

8.5

9.7

2.3

1.5

10.9

3.6

1.9

2.4

2.9

5.7

2.0

4.5

5.2

13.5

10.0

6.9

3.0

5.9

10.4

4.4

4.0

4.3

4.1

3.2

7.7

- 2 4 6 810 12 14 16

AK *

AL

AR

AZ

CA

CO

CT

DC *

DE

FL

GA

HI

IA

ID

IL

IN

KS

KY

LA

MA

MD

ME

MI

MN

MO

MS

MT

NC

ND

NE

NH

NJ

NM

NV

NY

OH

OK

OR

PA

RI

SC

SD

TN

TX

UT

VA

VT

WA

WI

WV

WY

Overall Rate

4.6 per 100,000

* The injury death rate is suppressed

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System if fewer than 20 deaths were reported
71
72

Deaths due to Pedal Cyclist Injuries

Pedal cyclist injuries represented 2% of the unintentional injury deaths among children 0 to 19 

years of age. The death rate for pedal cyclist injuries was 0.2 per 100,000. Males had death rates 

nearly four times higher than females (0.4 vs. 0.1 per 100,000). (Fig 8) The rate was highest 

among children 10 to 14 years of age (0.4 per 100,000). (Fig 36)

Figure 36: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to 

Pedal Cyclist Injuries among Children 0 to 19 Years, 

by Age Group, United States, 2000 - 2005

0

0.03

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

0.40

0.45

 Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate 

0.2 per 100,000

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

Death rates by state are not presented in a map or fi gure due to the high percentage of states with 

unreliable pedal cyclist death rates. There was very little difference among states with reliable 

death rates. Appendix 4 presents a listing of the number of deaths per state by cause.
73

Deaths due to Pedestrian Injuries

Pedestrian injuries represented 8% of the unintentional injury deaths among children 0 to 19 

years of age. The death rate for pedestrian injury was 1.2 per 100,000. Males had death rates 

nearly twice as high as females (1.5 vs. 0.8 per 100,000). (Fig 8) The rates were highest among 

children 1 to 4 years of age (1.7 per 100,000) and those 15 to 19 years of age (1.6 per 100,000). 

(Fig 37)

Figure 37: Unintentional Injury Death Rates due to Pedestrian 

Injuries among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, 

United States, 2000 - 2005

0.2

1.7

0.9 0.9

1.6

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

 Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Death Rate Per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate 

1.2 per 100,000

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System

State death rates from pedestrian injuries varied from 0.5 per 100,000 to 2.0 per 100,000. (Fig 38 

& Map 13)
74

Figure 38: Unintentional Injury Death Rates 

due to Pedestrian Injuries among Children 

0 to 19 Years, by State, United States, 

2000 - 2005

2.0

1.2

1.5

1.6

1.2

1.0

0.6

1.5

1.3

0.8

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.9

0.5

1.2

1.3

0.9

1.2

1.5

1.5

0.9

0.8

1.4

1.5

1.0

1.0

1.3

1.3

1.0

1.4

1.8

1.5

1.3

0.8

1.0

0.8

1.5

1.1

1.1

- 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

AK

AL

AR

AZ

CA

CO

CT

DC *

DE *

FL

GA

HI *

IA

ID

IL

IN

KS

KY

LA

MA

MD

ME *

MI

MN

MO

MS

MT *

NC

ND *

NE

NH *

NJ

NM

NV

NY

OH

OK

OR

PA

RI *

SC

SD

TN

TX

UT

VA

VT *

WA

WI

WV

WY *

Overall Rate

1.2 per 100,000

* The injury death rate is suppressed

Data Source: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System if fewer than 20 deaths were reported
75
76

Nonfatal Unintentional Injury, 2001 – 2006
77

5: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Estimates among Children 0 to 19 

Years, United States, 2001 – 2006

5.1: Nonfatal Injuries by Age Group

During the entire study period, there were an estimated 55 million nonfatal injuries among 

children 0 to 19 years of age, or an average of 9.2 million per year. From 2001-2006, an 

estimated 16.2 million or 29% occurred among those 15 to 19 years of age, for a nonfatal 

unintentional injury rate of 13,036 per 100,000 population. (Fig 39) The lowest rate (5,870 per 

100,000) was found among children less than 1. (Fig 40) 

Figure 39: Percent of Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries among 

Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 

2001 - 2006

 15 to 19 Years

 (n = 16,206,251 )

29%

 10 to 14 Years

 (n = 14,124,306) 

26%

 5 to 9 Years

 (n = 11,070,041) 

20%

 1 to 4 Years

 (n = 12,243,897) 

22%

 Less Than 1 Year

 (n = 1,430,365)

3%

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
78

Figure 40: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 

0 to 19 years, by Age Group, United States, 

2001 - 2006

5,870

12,873

9,311

11,220

13,036

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Rate per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate

11,272 per 100,000

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
79

5.2: Nonfatal Injuries by Sex and Age Group

Combining all ages, males had higher nonfatal injury rates than females. The nonfatal injury rate 

among males 0 to 19 years was 13,122 per 100,000 compared with 9,331 per 100,000 among 

females. (Fig 41) To further examine nonfatal injury rates by sex and cause for each age group, 

see Appendix 5.

Figure 41: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rate among Children 

0 to 19 years, by Sex, United States, 2001 - 2006

9,331

13,122

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

Female Male

Rate per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate

11,272 per 100,000

Data Source: NEISS -AIP
80

Figure 42: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 

0 to 19 years, by Age Group and Sex, 

United States, 2001 - 2006

5,423

11,228

8,887

6,296

14,444

13,443

10,423 10,615

7,944

15,510

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

 Less

Than 1

 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19 Less

Than 1

 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Female Male

Age Group in Years

Rate per 100,000 Children

Overall Rate

11,272 per 100,000

Data Source: NEISS-AIP

The nonfatal injury rates were higher among males in each age group, except among those less 

than 1 year where the rates were similar. The rate was 15,510 per 100,000 among males 15 to 

19 years of age, about 1.5 times greater than the rate among females in the same age group. The 

lowest nonfatal injury rates were observed among both males and females less than 1 year of age. 

(Fig 42)
81

5.3: Nonfatal Injuries by Cause

Nonfatal injury rates differed by cause, with the highest rates related to falls (3,420 per 100,000), 

followed by injuries due to being struck by or against an object. The lowest rate was reported 

for nonfatal drowning (5 per 100,000). In the graph below, transportation-related injuries are 

divided into categories based on the road user type: MV-occupants, pedal cyclists, pedestrians, 

and all others. (Fig 43)

Figure 43: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 

0 to 19 years, by Cause, United States, 2001 - 2006

658 746

5

3,420

190 304

829

253

1,019

394

72 168

2,463

22

336 393

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Bites/Stings

Cut/Pierce

Drowning

Falls

Fires/Burns

Foreign BodyMV-Occupant

Other Injuries

Overexertion

Pedal Cyclist

Pedestrian

Poisoning

Struck By/Against

Suffocation

Transportation-Other

Unknown/Unspecified

Rate per 100,000 Population

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
82

5.4: Nonfatal Injuries by Sex and Cause

Nonfatal injury rates for most causes were highest among males (i.e., cut or pierced, falls, 

transportation-other, pedal cyclist, struck by or against). The nonfatal injury rate among both 

sexes was highest due to fall-related injuries, followed by being struck by or against an object. 

(Fig 44)

Figure 44: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 

0 to 19 years, by Sex and Cause, United States, 

2001 - 2006 706944

6

3,871

206

313

741

303

1,102

559

83

172

3,163

23

401

529

606

539

4

2,946

174

294

922

202

931

221

61

163

1,728

21

268

250

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

Bites/Stings

Cut/Pierce

Drowning

Falls

Fires/Burns

Foreign Body

MV-Occupant

Other Injuries

Overexertion

Pedal Cyclist

Pedestrian

Poisoning

Struck By/Against

Suffocation

Transportation-Other

Unknown/Unspecified

Rate per 100,000 Population

Male

Female

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
83

5.5: Nonfatal Injuries by Age Group and Cause

The leading causes of nonfatal injury also differed by age group. Fall-related injuries were 

highest among those less than 1, 1 to 4, 5 to 9 and 10 to 14. For those 15 to 19 years, struck by 

or against an object was the leading cause of nonfatal injuries, followed by falls, MV occupant, 

& overexertion, respectively. The nonfatal rate for suffocation was highest among children less 

than 1 year (150 per 100,000). (Table 6)

Table 6: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group 

and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006* 

 Age Group in Years 

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19 

Bites/Stings 338 1116 723 495 471 

Cut/Pierce 168 558 639 759 1094 

Drowning 12 14 3 2 1 

Falls 3049 5531 3406 3136 2178 

Fire/Burns 282 379 111 96 200 

Foreign Body 230 726 287 126 191 

Overexertion 156 468 385 1347 1883 

Other Injuries 142 254 92 168 516 

Poisoning 168 373 45 62 236 

Struck By/Against 795 2411 2152 2854 2732 

Suffocation 150 48 11 6 4 

Transportation 

MV - Occupant 182 279 366 489 2164 

MV - Other 43 202 268 401 498 

Pedal cyclist 7 175 532 639 258 

 Pedestrian 5 41 68 88 97 

Unknown/Unspecified 142 301 224 552 514 

Rates per 100,000 population * Data Source: NEISS-AIP
84

5.6: Analysis by Age Group

This section describes nonfatal injury for each age group in more detail. Table 7 displays the 

leading causes of nonfatal injury among children by age group and rank. For each age group, the 

total number of nonfatal injuries over the period 2001-2006 is reported, along with the proportion 

of all nonfatal injuries among each age group that each cause represented. 

Among children less than 1 year of age, the majority of nonfatal injuries were due to falls (52%) 

followed by being struck by or against an object (14%). In those 1 to 4 years of age, the leading 

cause of nonfatal injury was falls (43%), followed by being struck by or against an object (19%). 

In those 5 to 9 years of age, the leading cause of nonfatal injury was falls (37%) followed by 

being struck by or against an object (23%). In those 10 to 14 years of age, the leading causes 

of nonfatal injury were falls (28%) and being struck by or against an object (25%). In those 15 

to 19 years of age, the leading cause of nonfatal injury was being struck by or against an object 

(21%), followed by falls (17%).
85

njuries 

yclist 

tings 

ther 

nspecified

ning 

urns 

 Body 

%

ation 

trian

%

rowning 

Table 7: Leading Causes of Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, United States, 2001 – 2006

Age Group in Years 

Rank 

Less Than 1 

 (n = 1,430,364) 

 1 to 4 

 (n= 12,243,896) 

5 to 9 

 (n= 11,070,041) 

10 to 14 

 (n= 14,124,306) 

15 to 19 

 (n= 16,206,250) 

1 

Falls Falls Falls Falls Struck By/Ag 

52% 43% 37% 28% 21% 

2 

Struck By/Ag Struck By/Ag Struck By/Ag Struck By/Ag Falls 

14% 19% 23% 25% 17% 

3 

Bites/Stings Bites/Stings Bites/Stings Overexertion MV - Occupant 

6% 9% 8% 12% 17% 

4 

Fires/Burns

5%

 Foreign Body 

 6%

Cut/Pierce 

 7%

Cut/Pierce 

 7% 

Overexertion 

14% 

5 

Foreign Body 

4%

Cut/Pierce 

 4%

Pedal cyclist 

 6%

Pedal cyclist 

 6%

Cut/Pierce 

 8%

6 

MV - Occupant Overexertion Overexertion Unknown/ Unspecified 

 5%

Other I

 4% 3% 4% 4%

7 

Cut/Pierce

3%

 Fires/Burns 

 3% 

MV - Occupant Bites/Stings Unknown/ U

 4% 4% 4%

8 

Poisoning 

3%

Poisoning 

 3%

Foreign Body 

 3% 

MV - Occupant MV - O

 4% 4%

9 

Overexertion Unknown/ Unspecified 

 2%

MV - Other 

 3%

MV - Other 

 4% 

Bites/S

3% 4%

10 

Suffocation 

3% 

MV - Occupant Unknown/ Unspecified 

 2%

Other Injuries 

 1%

Pedal c

 2% 2%

11 

Other Injuries 

2%

Other Injuries 

 2%

Fires/Burns 

 1%

Foreign Body 

 1%

Poiso

 2%

12 

Unknown/ Unspecified 

2%

MV - Other 

 2%

Other Injuries 

 1%

Fires/Burns 

 1%

Fires/B

 2%

13 

MV - Other 

1%

Pedal cyclist 

 1%

Pedestrian 

 1%

Pedestrian 

 1%

Foreign

 1%

14 

Nonfatal Drowning 

0.2%

Suffocation 

 0.4%

Poisoning 

 0.5% 

Poisoning 

1% 

Pedes

1%

15 

Pedal cyclist 

0.12%

Pedestrian 

 0.31%

Suffocation 

 0.12%

Suffocation 

 0.05%

Suffoc

 0.03

16 

Pedestrian 

0.08%

Nonfatal Drowning 

 0.11%

Nonfatal Drowning 

 0.03%

Nonfatal Drowning 

 0.02%

Nonfatal D

 0.01
86

5.6.1: Nonfatal Injuries among Children Less Than 1 Year

The U.S. nonfatal injury rate among children less than 1 year of age was 5,870 per 100,000. 

Males in this age group had a nonfatal injury rate of 6,296 per 100,000 and females a rate of 

5,423 per 100,000. (Fig 42) Falls resulted in the highest rate of injury (3,049 per 100,000), 

followed by being struck by or against an object (795 per 100,000). The nonfatal injury rate due 

to suffocation, which was the leading cause of injury death in this age group, was only 150 per 

100,000 children. (Fig 45) 

Figure 45: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among 

Children Less Than 1 Year, by Cause, United States, 

2001 - 2006

338

168

12

3,049

282 230 182 142 156 167

795

150 43 142

7 5*

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Bites/Stings

Cut/Pierce

Drowning

Falls

Fires/Burns

Foreign Body

MV - Occupant

Other Injuries

Overexertion

Pedal Cyclist

Pedestrian *

Poisoning

Struck By/Against

Suffocation

Transportation - Other

Unknown/Unspecified

Rate per 100,000 Population

* Rate is unreliable because of small sample size and should be interpreted with caution Data Source: NEISS-AIP
87

5.6.2: Nonfatal Injuries among Children 1 to 4 Years

The U.S. nonfatal injury rate among children 1 to 4 years of age was 12,873 per 100,000. Males 

in this age group had a nonfatal injury rate of 14,444 per 100,000 and females a rate of 11,228 

per 100,000. (Fig 42) Falls resulted in the highest rate of injury (5,531 per 100,000), followed by 

being struck by or against an object (2,411 per 100,000). (Fig 46)

Figure 46: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among 

Children 1 to 4 Years, by Cause, United States, 2001 - 2006

1,116

558

14

5,531

379

726

279 254 468

175 40

372

2,411

48 202 301

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

Bites/Stings

Cut/Pierce

Drowning

Falls

Fires/Burns

Foreign Body

MV - Occupant

Other Injuries

Overexertion

Pedal Cyclist

Pedestrian

Poisoning

Struck By/Against

Suffocation

Transportation - Other

Unknown/Unspecified

Rate per 100,000 Population

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
88

5.6.3: Nonfatal Injuries among Children 5 to 9 Years

The U.S. nonfatal injury rate among children 5 to 9 years of age was 9,311 per 100,000. Males 

5 to 9 years of age had a nonfatal injury rate of 10,615 per 100,000 and females a rate of 7,944 

per 100,000. (Fig 42) Falls resulted in the highest rate of injury (3,406 per 100,000) followed by 

being struck by or against an object (2,152 per 100,000). (Fig 47)

Figure 47: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among 

Children 5 to 9 Years, by Cause, United States, 2001 - 2006

723 639

3

3,406

111

287 366

92

385 532

68 45

2,152

11

267 224

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

Bites/Stings

Cut/Pierce

Drowning

Falls

Fires/Burns

Foreign Body

MV - Occupant

Other Injuries

Overexertion

Pedal Cyclist

Pedestrian

Poisoning

Struck By/Against

Suffocation

Transportation - Other

Unknown/Unspecified

Rate per 100,000 Population

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
89

5.6.4: Nonfatal Injuries among Children 10 to 14 Years

The U.S. nonfatal injury rate among children 10 to 14 years was 11,220 per 100,000. Males in 

this age group had a nonfatal injury rate of 13,443 per 100,000 and females a rate of 8,887 per 

100,000. (Fig 42) Falls and being struck by or against an object resulted in the highest rates of 

injury (3,136 and 2,854 per 100,000, respectively). (Fig 48)

Figure 48: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among 

Children 10 to 14 Years, by Cause, United States, 2001 - 2006

495

759

2

3,136

96 126

489

168

1,347

639

88 62

2,854

6

401

552

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Bites/Stings

Cut/Pierce

Drowning

Falls

Fires/Burns

Foreign Body

MV - Occupant

Other Injuries

Overexertion

Pedal Cyclist

Pedestrian

Poisoning

Struck By/Against

Suffocation

Transportation - Other

Unknown/Unspecified

Rate per 100,000 Population

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
90

5.6.5: Nonfatal Injuries among Children 15 to 19 Years

The U.S. nonfatal injury rate among those 15 to 19 years of age was 13,036 per 100,000. Males 

15 to 19 years of age had a rate of 15,510 per 100,000 and females a rate of 10,423 per 100,000. 

(Fig 42) Injuries due to being struck by or against an object had the highest rate (2,732 per 

100,000), followed by falls, motor vehicle occupant injuries and overexertion (2,178, 2,164 and 

1,883 per 100,000, respectively). (Fig 49) The nonfatal drowning rate may be unreliable due to 

variation in number of drowning injuries seen in emergency departments.

Figure 49: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among 

Children 15 to 19 Years, by Cause, United States, 2001 - 2006

471

1,094

1

2,178

200 191

2,164

516

1,883

257

97

236

2,732

4

498 513

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Bites/Stings

Cut/Pierce

Drowning

Falls

Fires/Burns

Foreign Body

MV - Occupant

Other Injuries

Overexertion

Pedal Cyclist

Pedestrian

Poisoning

Struck By/Against

Suffocation

Transportation - Other

Unknown/Unspecified

Rate per 100,000 Population

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
91

5.7: Analysis by Cause

This section describes nonfatal injuries from selected causes in more detail. 

5.7.1: Nonfatal Injuries due to Bites or Stings

Dog bites, insect stings and other animal bites accounted for 6% of the nonfatal injuries among 

children 0 to 19 years of age. The nonfatal injury rate for bites and stings was 658 per 100,000. 

The rate among males was 706 per 100,000 and among females was 606 per 100,000. (Fig 44) 

The rate was highest among children 1 to 4 years of age (1116 per 100,000), followed by those 5 

to 9 years (723 per 100,000). (Fig 50)

Figure 50: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Bites 

and Stings* among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, 

United States, 2001 - 2006

338

1,116

723

495 471

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Rate per 100,000 Population

* Includes Dog Bites, Animal Bites, Stings and Other Bites

Overall Rate

658 per 100,000

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
92

5.7.2: Nonfatal Drowning

Nonfatal drowning accounted for less than 1% of the nonfatal injuries among children 0 to 

19 years of age. The nonfatal drowning rate was 5 per 100,000. The rate for males was 6 per 

100,000 and the rate for females was 4 per 100,000. (Fig 44) The highest rates were among 

children 1 to 4 years of age (14 per 100,000) and among children less than 1 year of age (12 per 

100,000). (Fig 51) The nonfatal drowning rate may be unreliable due to variation in the number 

of drowning injuries seen in emergency departments.

Figure 51: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to 

Drowning among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, 

United States, 2001 - 2006

12

14

3 2

1

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19 *

Age Group in Years

Rate per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate

5 per 100,000

* Rate is unreliable and should be interpreted with caution Data Source: NEISS-AIP
93

5.7.3: Nonfatal Injuries due to Falls

Falls accounted for 31% of the nonfatal injuries among children 0 to 19 years of age. Fallrelated injuries were the most common reason for injury-related initial ED visits among all 

age groups except 15 to 19 year olds. (Table 7) The nonfatal injury rate for falls was 3,420 per 

100,000. Males had a higher rate than females (3,871 vs. 2,946 per 100,000). (Fig 44) The fall 

rate was highest among children 1 to 4 years (5,531 per 100,000). (Fig 52)

Figure 52: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Falls 

among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, 

United States, 2001 - 2006

3,049

5,531

2,178

3,406 3,136

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Rate per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate

3,420 per 100,000

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
94

5.7.4: Nonfatal Injuries due to Fire or Burns

Injuries from fi re or burns accounted for almost 2% of the nonfatal injuries among children 0 to 

19 years of age. These injuries were the fourth leading cause of ED visits among children less 

than 1 year of age. (Table 7) The overall nonfatal injury rate due to fi re or burns was 190 per 

100,000. The rate for males was 206 per 100,000 and the rate for females was 174 per 100,000. 

(Fig 44) The rate of nonfatal fi re or burn injuries was highest among children 1 to 4 years of age 

(379 per 100,000) followed by those less than 1 year (282 per 100,000). (Fig 53)

Figure 53: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Fires or 

Burns among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, 

United States, 2001 - 2006

282

379

111

96

200

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Rate per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate

190 per 100,000 

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
95

5.7.5: Nonfatal Poisoning

Poisoning accounted for almost 2% of the nonfatal injuries among children 0 to 19 years of age. 

The nonfatal injury rate for poisoning was 168 per 100,000. The rate among males was 172 per 

100,000 and among females was 163 per 100,000. (Fig 44) The rate of poisoning was highest 

among children 1 to 4 years of age (372 per 100,000), followed by those 15 to 19 years of age 

(236 per 100,000). (Fig 54)

Figure 54: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to 

Poisoning among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group,

United States, 2001 - 2006

167

372

45

62

236

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Rate per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate

168 per 100,000

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
96

5.7.6: Nonfatal Injuries due to being Struck by or Against an Object

Being struck by or against an object accounted for 22% of the nonfatal injuries among children 

0 to 19 years of age. The nonfatal injury rate due to being struck by or against an object was 

2,463 per 100,000. The rate among males was nearly twice that of females (3,163 vs. 1,728 per 

100,000). (Fig 44) Rates were similar among all age groups older than 1 year of age. (Fig 55)

Figure 55: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Struck 

By or Against an Object among Children 0 to 19 Years, 

by Age Group, United States, 2001 - 2006

795

2,411

2,152

2,854

2,732

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Rate per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate

2,463 per 100,000

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
97

5.7.7: Nonfatal Suffocation

Suffocation accounted for less than 1% of the nonfatal injuries among children 0 to 19 years of 

age. The nonfatal injury rate for suffocation was 22 per 100,000. The rate was 23 per 100,000 

among males and 21 per 100,000 among females. (Fig 44) The rate of nonfatal suffocation was 

highest among children less than 1 year of age (150 per 100,000) and decreased with age. (Fig 56)

Figure 56: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to 

Suffocations among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, 

United States, 2001 - 2006

150

48

6 4 11

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Rate per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate

22 per 100,000

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
98

5.7.8: Nonfatal Injuries related to Transportation

Transportation-related injuries accounted for 15% of the nonfatal injuries among children 0 to 19 

years of age. The nonfatal injury rate for this cause was 1,631 per 100,000. Males had a higher 

rate than females (1,784 vs. 1,472 per 100,000). (Fig 44) The nonfatal injury rate for motor 

vehicle-related injuries increased with age. The rate was highest among those 15 to 19 years of 

age (3,016 per 100,000) followed by those 10 to 14 years of age (1,617 per 100,000). (Fig 57)

Figure 57: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to 

Transportation-related Injuries* among Children 0 to 19 Years, 

by Age Group, United States, 2001 - 2006

237

696

1,233

1,617

3,016

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Rate per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate

1,631 per 100,000

* Includes All Motor Vehicle-related and 

Other Transportation-related Injuries Data Source: NEISS-AIP
99

Nonfatal Injuries among Motor Vehicle Occupants

Motor vehicle occupant injuries accounted for almost 8% of the nonfatal injuries among children 

0 to 19 years of age. The nonfatal injury rate for motor vehicle occupants was 829 per 100,000. 

Males had a rate of 741 per 100,000; females had a rate of 922 per 100,000. (Fig 44) The rate 

was highest among those 15 to 19 years of age (2,164 per 100,000). (Fig 58)

Figure 58: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Motor 

Vehicle - Occupant Injuries among Children 0 to 19 Years, 

by Age Group, United States, 2001 - 2006

182

279

366

489

2,164

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Rate per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate

829 per 100,000

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
100

Nonfatal Injuries among Pedal Cyclists

Pedal cyclist injuries accounted for 4% of the nonfatal injuries among children 0 to 19 years of 

age. The nonfatal injury rate for pedal cyclists was 394 per 100,000. The rate among males was 

twice that of females (559 vs. 221 per 100,000). (Fig 44) The rate increased with age up to 14 

years. The rate was highest among children 10 to 14 years of age (639 per 100,000) and among 

those 5 to 9 years of age (532 per 100,000). (Fig 59)

Figure 59: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to Pedal 

Cyclist Injuries among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Age Group, 

United States, 2001 - 2006

7

175

532

639

257

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Rate per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate

394 per 100,000

Data Source: NEISS-AIP
101

Nonfatal Injuries among Pedestrians

Pedestrian injuries accounted for less than 1% of the nonfatal injuries among children 0 to 19 

years of age. The nonfatal injury rate for pedestrians was 72 per 100,000. Males had a rate of 

83 per 100,000; females had a rate of 61 per 100,000. (Fig 44) The rate increased with age. The 

rate was highest among those 15 to 19 years of age and those 10 to 14 years of age (97 and 88 

per 100,000, respectively). (Fig 60) The nonfatal injury rate for pedestrians among children less 

than 1 year of age was based on a small number of events and may be unreliable.

Figure 60: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates due to 

Pedestrian Injuries among Children 0 to 19 Years, 

by Age Group, United States, 2001 - 2006

40

88

97

5

68

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Less Than 1 * 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19

Age Group in Years

Rate per 100,000 Population

Overall Rate

72 per 100,000

Data Source: NEISS-AIP

`

* Rate is unreliable and should be interpreted with caution
102

References

1. Sleet, DA, RA Schieber, A Dellinger. Childhood injuries. The Enclyclopedia of Public 

Health, Vol I (Ed., L Breslow). New York: Macmillan Reference, USA 2002, pp 184-187. 

2. Danesco ER, Miller TR, Spicer RS. Incidence and costs of 1987-1994 childhood injuries: 

demographic breakdowns. Pediatrics 2000;105(2):E27.

3. WHO. World report on child injury prevention WHO, Geneva 2008

4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and 

Reporting System [online]. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars. [Accessed Aug 2008].

5. Child and adolescent injury prevention: a global call to action. Geneva, World Health 

Organization and UNICEF, 2005. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2005/9241593415_

eng.pdf. [Accessed: September 17, 2008].

6. Bernard SJ, Paulozzi LJ, Wallace DL. Fatal injuries among children by race and ethnicity--

United States, 1999-2002. MMWR Surveill Summ 2007; 18;56(5):1-16.

7. Schnitzer PG. Prevention of unintentional childhood injuries. Am Fam Physician 2006; 

74(11):1864-9.

8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics. VitalStats. 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/vitalstats.htm. [Accessed: Aug 10, 2008].

9. US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The NEISS sample: design and implementation. 

In: Kessler E, Schroeder T, eds. Washington, DC: US Consumer Product Safety 

Commission, 2000.

10. World Health Organization. Manual of the international statistical classifi cation of 

disease, injuries, and causes of death, 10th revision. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health 

Organization; 1999.

11. Fingerhut L. ICD Framework: External cause of injury mortality matrix [online]. 

Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/

nchs/about/otheract/ice/matrix10.htm.

12. CDC. Recommended framework for presenting injury mortality data. In: Reports and 

Recommendations, August 29, 1997. MMWR 1997:46(No. RR-14):1-30.
103

13. Vyrostek SB, Annest JL, Ryan GW. Surveillance for Fatal and Nonfatal Injuries --- United 

States, 2001. In: Surveillance Summaries, September 3, 2004. MMWR 2004;53(No. SS7):1-57.

14. Arias E, Schauman WS, Eschbach K, Sorlie PD, Backlund E. The validity of race and 

Hispanic origin reporting on death certifi cates in the United States. National Center for 

Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 2(148). 2008.
104

Appendices

Appendix 1: Cause of Unintentional Injury Death Categories based on ICD-10

External Cause-of-Injury Codes ................................................................................................105

Appendix 2: Categorization of Cause of Death: Numbers of Deaths from

Unintentional Injuries among Children 0 to 19 Years, United, States, 2000 – 2005 .................106

Appendix 3: Number of Unintentional Injury Deaths among Children 0 to 19 Years,

by State and Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005 ...............................................................107

Appendix 4: Number of Unintentional Injury Deaths among Children 0 to 19 Years,

by State and Cause, United States, 2000 – 2005 .......................................................................108

Appendix 5: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years,

by Sex and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 .........................................................................109

Appendix 5A: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 0 to 19

Years, by Sex and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 .................................................. 109

Appendix 5B: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children Less

Than 1 Year, by Sex and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 ........................................ 110

Appendix 5C: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children

1 to 4 Years, by Sex and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 ........................................ 111

Appendix 5D: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children 5 to 9

Years, by Sex and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 .................................................. 112

Appendix 5E: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children 10 to

14 Years, by Sex and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 ............................................. 113

Appendix 5F: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children 15 to

19 Years, by Sex and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 ............................................. 114
105

Appendix 1. Cause of Unintentional Injury Death Categories based on ICD-10 

External Cause-of-Injury Codes* 

Cause of Unintentional Injury Death ICD-10 Codes 

Drowning W65-W74 

Falls W00-W19 

Fire/Burns X00-X19 

Poisoning X40-X49 

Suffocation W75-W84 

Transportation-related 

 MV traffic – Occupant V30-V79 (.4-.9), V83-V86 (.0-.3) 

 MV traffic – Unspecified V87 (.0-.8), V89.2 

 Pedal cyclist V10-V18, V19(.0-.6,.8,.9) 

 Pedestrian V01, V02-V04 (.0,.1,.9), V05, V06, 

V09 (.0,.1,.2,.3,.9) 

 Transportation – Other V20-V29, V30-V79 (.0-.3), V80, 

V81-V82 (.0,.1,.2-.9), V83-V86 (.4-

.9), V87.9, V88 (.0-.9), 

V89 (.0,.1 .3,.9), V90-V99 

Other injuries W20-W45, W49-W64, W85-W99, 

X20-X39, X50-X59, Y85, Y86 

*ICD-10 is the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision. 
fr

§ 

Dea

M

M

M

‡ 

f

† 

*

V

o

o

Fin C

t

V

N

N

Oth

N

M

r Health

h Ra

a

O

V

S

P

t

 T

M

H

t

t

V

e

 T

o

m

C

o

u

t Else

D

e

r

r Sp

r

 T

r

r

V

t

Cau

P

a

r

 t

H

g

u

he

a

a

a

l

e

C

a

e

r

 T

d

c

r

l

f

M

 T

 O

s

/

t

ffi

r

e

Oth

k

/

O

d

ffi

h

 PopuS

r

a

N

E

c

fi

e

 pe

ecified

 b

t

Vb

h

e

 La

st

ffi

c

u

e

 Cy

a

j

n

 P

c

 T

e

e of

w

t

C

y

O

he

U

c

c

ffi

vi

nd

 U

 M

c

h

 L

S

r

e

r

t

v

r

i

l

c

F

n

u

 o

i

d

a

/

e

r

a

n

o

i

 P

r

 In

 Ex

l

 Sta

o

n

s

D

 of Mechanism

.

r

 T

a

M

S

t

 IC

HS Nat

sp

Clas

ere C

r 1

r

P

f

 T

e

t

f

o

er

r

ds

l

ffi

 O

a

te

0

,

i

n

s,

,

sp

to

a

e

c

c

F

e

 NEC

x

s/

Mortality Ma

si

o

 A

r

ist

a

a

 C

c

r

o

Cut

t

r

i

s

m

e

e

/

i

ub

ju

0

c

c

h

o

i

,

T

c

n

D Fra

i

l

i

0

o

fi

fia

r Specified, 

c

g

o

e

n

n

c

r

st

F

P

a

y

y

u

w

n

cs. 

a

r

e

i

 O

 O

t

n

t

sp

i

i

t

sp

st

 O

e

a

l

i

r

t

c

fi

t

c

p

n

a

F

n

e

 2000 – 

n

a

a

a

on

0

tal

b

i

i

i

e

n

i

trix

ry 

s

e

nst

a

n

o

t

o

he

o

i

0

a

o

he

l

he

l

a

r

r

†

l

i

e

i

le

a

n

r

m

c

m

l

n

c

si

A

r

s

al Vita

§

d

r

l

‡

n g 

n

l

t

r

t

n

r

t

d

r

st

t

y

e

e

s

g

e

f

m

 Injury 

i

v

ed 

a

e

i

D

labl

w

6,900 

r

20

o

6

o

r

05 u

e f

k

l Statist

,

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- - 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- - 

- 

- 

-

9

- 

wni

o

 Ex:

00

r

s

ng

ed f

m: 

ter

cs Si

n

o

 F

r cal

http://

al cau

a

y

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- - 

- 

- 

- 

- 

l

ste

ls

w

cu

ww

s

1,123 

1,123 

e o

m

la

Years, United, States, 2000 – 2005*

t

.cdc.g

f

3

i

 i

Fir

on

1.4 0.2 0.7 

4

,

n

5

Bu

j

3,554 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- - 

-

e

7

0

- 

- 

u

rn

 o

r

7

s

s o

f

o

y

r

 R

v

a

/

m

t

n

o

es

ch

M

 (n

rtalit

s/abou

O

2

V

 = 487,05

y 

4.6 

22,34

2,

ccu

 T

m

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

3

- - 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

ra

t/

a

45

5 

pan

oth

trix

t

ffic 

e

 [o

5,7

n

3

l

5) 

ract/ice/

in

4

,

3

sCause

m

e]. H

5,720

1 3

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- - 

- 

- 

4

-

7

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- - 

- 

- - 

- 

 Pedest

atri

9

1

y

ri

 De

x1

atts

an

v

1.2 

t0.h

 1,177 

Cy

0.

2

9

Pe

m

lle, MD: Natio i

fine

2 0.8 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- - 

- 

- - 

- 

- 

0

6

-

cl

8

9

- 

- 

- - 

- - 

- 

- 

- 

- 

i

da

s

l

d usi

t

ng th

T

e

r

na

3,719 

an

l 

1

1

s

 M

Cen

7

,

,

o

6

1

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- - 

- 

1

3

8

- 

7

- 

-

0

- 

- 

- - 

0

- - 

- - 

- 

- 

Othe

4

8

r

port

t

a

er 

ti

difie

on

d Ma

Un

M

tr

3.1 

14,91

1

V

4

ix 

 T

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- - 

- 

- 

- 

- - 

- 

- 

,9

- 

- 

- - - 

- - 

-

16

- - 

speci

r

6 

a

fi

ffi

ed P

c 

0.8 

3,638 

o

3,

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

63

- 

- 

- - 

- - 

- 

- 

- - 

- 

- - - - 

- 

- 

- - 

8

isoning 

5,734 

5

1.2 

,

Suff

- - 

- 

73

- 

- 

- 

- 

- - 

- - 

- 

- 

- - 

- 

- - - 

- 

- 

- 

- - 

4 

ocation 

1

0.9 

4,226 

In

82

6

5

6

2

j

,0

4

u

63

0

Oth

30

7

- 

6

- 

2

6

- - 

- 

- 

0

0

- 

9

7

- 

- 

- - 

- 

- 

39

- 

- - 

e

9

ries

r 

Appendix 2: Categorization of Cause of Death: Numbers of Deaths from Unintentional Injuries among Children 0 to 19

106
107

Appendix 3: Number of Unintentional Injury Deaths among Children 0 to 19

Years, by State and Age Group, United States, 2000 – 2005*

Age Group in Years 

Less Than 1 1 to 4 5 to 9 10 to 14 15 to 19 Total 

AK 55 41 22 69 141 328 

AL 122 262 168 220 1010 1782 

AR 95 191 118 146 646 1196 

AZ 137 292 181 227 932 1769 

CA 345 1075 699 849 3571 6539 

CO 74 130 94 142 662 1102 

CT 28 57 40 50 322 497 

DC 5 9 17 7 37 75 

DE 12 24 18 22 135 211 

FL 468 787 388 506 2587 4736 

GA 236 431 272 356 1401 2696 

HI 32 31 10 17 127 217 

IA 37 86 94 91 431 739 

ID 37 70 52 69 258 486 

IL 322 338 230 311 1401 2602 

IN 229 260 158 187 960 1794 

KS 65 130 87 122 518 922 

KY 132 189 142 175 892 1530 

LA 161 316 209 249 969 1904 

MA 29 83 52 87 470 721 

MD 54 118 114 127 571 984 

ME 9 33 30 26 199 297 

MI 386 295 260 345 1236 2522 

MN 108 128 110 162 651 1159 

MO 202 224 167 240 1173 2006 

MS 91 241 170 205 774 1481 

MT 17 33 34 48 236 368 

NC 181 301 242 321 1437 2482 

ND 7 12 27 24 111 181 

NE 19 62 63 61 297 502 

NH 12 18 22 36 136 224 

NJ 73 136 117 141 668 1135 

NM 34 90 62 99 406 691 

NV 76 84 45 90 299 594 

NY 135 335 259 323 1451 2503 

OH 289 327 258 331 1432 2637 

OK 71 176 135 145 766 1293 

OR 63 125 82 118 484 872 

PA 140 313 223 307 1648 2631 

RI 17 18 10 16 95 156 

SC 124 179 143 185 881 1512 

SD 26 56 50 66 169 367 

TN 183 257 173 269 1145 2027 

TX 505 1088 724 819 3617 6753 

UT 53 133 73 92 330 681 

VA 113 201 153 161 943 1571 

VT 5 10 11 20 96 142 

WA 113 185 122 150 735 1305 

WI 111 143 136 159 804 1353 

WV 21 58 59 71 360 569 

WY 24 22 19 29 114 208 

Total 5780 10136 7059 9028 40734 73052 

* Any rate calculation based on fewer than 20 deaths may be unreliable
108

‡ Other Injury includes Cut or pierced, Unintentional Firearm, Machinery, Natural or environmental, Overexertion, Struck by or † Transportation includes MVT Occupants, Pedestrians, Pedal Cyclist, MVT Other, MVT Unspecified and other transportation relate* Any rate calculation based on fewer than 20 deaths may be unreliable

Total 6900 

WY 

WV 

WI

WA 

VT

VA 

UT

TX 

TN 

SD 18 

SC 

RI 10 

PA

OR 

OK 

OH 

NY 

NV 

NM

NJ 

NH 

NE

ND 10 

NC 

MT

MS

MO

MN

MI

ME

MD

MA

LA 

KY 

KS 

IN 

IL 

ID 

IA 

HI

GA 

FL 

DE

DC 2 

CT

AZ

 11 

CO 

 15 

CA 

AR 

AL 

AK 

 Dr

20 

42 

1123 

7 

112 21 

151 32 156 28 

65 27 

674 75 

169 26 

128 

180 40 

106 

130 

235 41 

230 80 

59 

38 

110 26 

24 

38 

184 20 

29 

150 117 21 

95 25 

205 26 

20 

71 

182 

62 

3 

6 

14 

5 

17 

12 10 

3 

8 

14 

71 23 

17 

113 22 

10 

146 28 

214 69 

39 

57 

32 

16 

281 29 682 42 

48 

4 

5 

74 26 

780 107 211 26 

109 

147 

48 

owning 

3 2 

47 

3 15 

11 9 

13 9 

3554 

30 408 97 

12 

284 120 

16 12 

10 19 

F

6 16 

8 2 

8 

18 

alls B

46 

13 

32 247 

78 1016 13 

163 

27 567 

62 843 

174 

197 

70 22 373 

9 

107 

106 1005 

113 

39 

193 

68 71

26 

170 1119 

92 

50 657 

106 

171 

37 530 

147 102 

16 

9 

9 19 

13 

150 

44 

7 10 

urns 

Tran

39431 

133 87 

929 

818 

93 39 

1015 

459 151 

4591 1310 

102 77 

1672 

1582 

1591 

1540 

s

647 

1736 

1367 

792 

500 

971 

1106 

1538 

1752 2893 

42 

93 800 93 1187 

Cause, United States, 2000 – 2005*

22345 

116 

694 

596 

383 

2814 

939 

179 

354 

379 

321 

173 

456 

589 

375 131 

505 367 

205 

141 47 

290 

138 89 

1193 

266 207 

779 761 

494 

609 

203 149 

1 265 

91 

218 325 

485 

479 

728 

330 253 

408 

130 46 

477 

1869 

144 57 

305 41 823 260 

4561 1154 

relat

160 

po

e

r

d 

ta

†

tion1804 169 371 302 Occ16 u MVpaTnt Pe

against an object, Other specified and classifiable, Other specifiable-not classifiable, Unspecified.

5720 

des

9 1 

41 

76 

96 

97 

66 

596 106 

24 

97 

198 

71 

75 

194 

311 

56 

46 

116 

26 

d injuries

1177 

6

17 

17 

13 11 

23 

20 

6 0 

95 

21 

6 3 

39 19 

10 33 

66 

9 

6 

24 

11 3 

10 3 

200 

14 9 78 

116 

74 

214 113 

55 

109 

199 

12 

12 

151 

73 

225 

57 

17 3 

33 22 

11 46 

25 41 

49 

28 

34 

18 8 

379 

24 

23 

13 

24 

107 

13 2 

153 

10 36 

770 

25 

t Pe

143 

8 66 

rian 

16 78 

35 19 87 

1 

9 

dal Cyclist P

3638 

10 

10 17 

o

21 22 

58 

71 

11 

73 109 

347 

6 9 

97 166 

56 

1 

262 

37 69 

77 65 

136 

116 

40 61 

47 30 

120 

13 

10 10 

15 

33 

is

4 

154 

28 80 

73 

84 

27 

17 18 

20 48 

115 

95 

62 

168 

7 14 

20 70 

24 29 

3 

04 195 1

378 

7 4 

60 28 42 69 

226 

112 

oning Su

5734 

f

22 

124 

114 

3 

51 50 

430 

24 31 

134 

16 

169 

308 

153 

73 

20 

23 26 

6 

171 

13 

199 

129 

373 

12 13 

58 44 

162 

133 

240 

310 

34 47 

31 

442 

11 

5 

324 

121 

30 79 63 122 

26 54 

focation Othe

4226 

18 

39 62 

73 

8 

93 

352 

139 

86 

9 

145 

49 

104 

161 

136 

31 

42 89 

8 

11 

110 

25 3

052

08 

69

68

53

05

42 

71

81

53

27

67

12

56 

31

72

93

37

03

94

91

35

24 02

81 

82

81

06

59

22

97 84

21

04

30

22

94

02

86

39

17 

9636

11 

5 

97

02

39

69

9682

104 

116 

46 

101 

33 

139 

104 

53 

106 

132 

46 

14 

8 

152 

23 

r I

11 

188 197 

28 55 

391 

101 

77 

njuries ‡ TO

73

Appendix 4: Number of Unintentional Injury Deaths among Children 0 to 19 Years, by State and

2

5

13

13

1

15

6

67

20

3

15

1

26

8

12

26

25

5

6

11

25

1

24

14

20

11

25

29

7

19

15

9

17

26

4

7

2

2647

2

7

4

11

65

17

1117

328

TAL 
109

Appendix 5: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Sex 

and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 

Appendix 5A: Nonfatal Unintentional Injury Rates among Children 0 to 19 Years, by Sex and 

Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 

 Overall Males Females 

Rate per Rate per Rate per 

Weighted 100,000 100,000 100,000 

Cause Estimate population* population* population* 

Fall 16,708,081 3,420 3,871 2,946 

Struck By/Against 12,034,546 2,463 3,163 1,728 

Overexertion 4,976,839 1,019 1,102 931 

MV-Occupant 4,050,659 829 741 922 

Cut/Pierce 3,646,945 746 944 539 

Other Bite/Sting 2,288,653 468 495 441 

Pedal Cyclist 1,924,756 394 559 221 

Unknown/Unspecified 1,920,436 393 530 250 

Foreign Body 1,483,355 304 313 294 

Other Transport 1,285,877 263 277 249 

Fire/Burn 942,978 191 206 174 

Other Specified 930,531 193 206 179 

Dog Bite 924,203 189 212 166 

Poisoning 819,725 168 173 163 

Motorcyclist 358,069 73 124 20 

Pedestrian 351,764 72 83 61 

Suffocation 143,709 22 23 21 

Machinery 108,729 29 46 12 

BB/Pellet Gunshot 77,491 16 27 4 

Natural/Environment 50,265 10 15 5 

Nonfatal Drowning 23,826 5 6 4 

Firearm Gunshot 23,421 5 8 1 

Total 55,074,860 11,272 13,122 9,331 

* Population 2001-2006: Overall 488,582,677; Males 250,264,225; Females 238,318,452 
110

Appendix 5B: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children Less Than 1 Year, 

by Sex and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 

 Overall Male Female

 Rate per Rate per Rate per 

Weighted 100,000 100,000 100,000 

Cause Estimate population* population* population* 

Fall 742,930 3,049 3,320 2,765 

Struck By/Against 193,789 795 879 707 

Other Bite/Sting 72,471 297 331 262 

Fire/Burn 68,790 282 319 244 

Foreign Body 56,110 230 236 224 

MV-Occupant 44,446 182 191 174 

Cut/Pierce 41,021 168 166 171 

Poisoning 40,816 168 175 160 

Overexertion 37,991 156 124 189 

Suffocation 36,557 150 141 159 

Unknown/Unspecified 34,534 142 151 132 

Other Specified 33,511 138 143 132 

Other Transport 10,468 43 44 42 

Dog Bite 9,859 41 45 36 

Nonfatal Drowning 2,953 12 13 11†

Pedal Cyclist 1,701 7 8†

 6†

Pedestrian 1,167†

 5† 4† 5†

Natural/Environment 780†

 3† 5† 1†

Machinery 338†

 1† 2† 1†

Motorcyclist 85†

 0.3† 0.0† 1†

Firearm Gunshot 23†

 0.1† 0.0† 0.2†

Bb/Pellet Gunshot 23†

 0.1† 0.2† 0.0†

Total 1,430,365 5,870 6,296 5,423 

* Population 2001-2006: Overall 24,368,733; Male 12,462,355; Female 11,906,378 

† Estimate or rate is unreliable because of small sample size and should be interpreted with caution. 
111

Appendix 5C: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children 1 to 4 Years, by Sex 

and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 

 Overall Male Female

 Rate per Rate per Rate per 

Weighted 100,000 100,000 100,000 

Cause Estimate population* population* population* 

Fall 5,260,470 5,531 6,337 4,687 

Struck By/Against 2,293,035 2,411 2,885 1,915 

Other Bite/Sting 826,789 869 933 803 

Foreign Body 690,437 726 717 736 

Cut/Pierce 530,492 558 656 455 

Overexertion 445,093 468 396 543 

Fire/Burn 360,033 379 429 326 

Poisoning 354,272 373 393 351 

Unknown/Unspecified 286,165 301 323 278 

MV-Occupant 265,538 279 281 277 

Dog Bite 234,777 247 261 232 

Other Specified 230,104 242 256 227 

Other Transport 188,240 198 217 178 

Pedal Cyclist 166,431 175 229 118 

Suffocation 45,594 48 50 45 

Pedestrian 38,499 41 45 36 

Nonfatal Drowning 13,136 14 17 11 

Machinery 6,354 7 10 4 

Motorcyclist 3,613 4 5 2†

Bb/Pellet Gunshot 2,369 3 3 2†

Natural/Environment 2,160 2 2†

 2†

Firearm Gunshot 294†

 0.3† 0.3† 0.3†

Total 12,243,896 12,873 14,444 11,228 

* Population 2001-2006: Overall 95,114,828; Male 48,637,811; Female 46,477,017 

†

 Estimate or rate is unreliable because of small sample size and should be interpreted with caution. 
112

Appendix 5D: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children 5 to 9 Years, by Sex 

and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 

 Overall Male Female

 Rate per Rate per Rate per 

Weighted 100,000 100,000 100,000 

Cause Estimate population* population* population* 

Fall 4,050,141 3,406 3,765 3,031 

Struck By/Against 2,558,947 2,152 2,679 1,600 

Cut/Pierce 759,484 639 750 523 

Pedal Cyclist 632,730 532 663 523 

Other Bite/Sting 558,954 470 513 425 

Overexertion 457,365 385 370 400 

MV-Occupant 434,798 366 349 383 

Foreign Body 341,098 287 324 248 

Dog Bite 300,514 253 286 218 

Other Transport 282,819 238 235 241 

Unknown/Unspecified 266,292 224 269 177 

Fire/Burn 131,481 111 113 108 

Other Specified 89,093 75 80 69 

Pedestrian 80,792 68 85 50 

Poisoning 53,368 45 49 41 

Motorcyclist 35,217 30 47 11 

Suffocation 13,423 11 12 10 

Bb/Pellet Gunshot 10,524 9 14 3 

Machinery 6,346 5 8 3 

Nonfatal Drowning 3,087 3 3 2†

Natural/Environment 2,922 3 2 3 

Firearm Gunshot 646†

 0.5† 1† 0.4†

Total 11,070,041 9,311 10,615 7,644 

* Population 2001-2006: Overall 118,897,067; Male 60,835,200; Female 58,061,867 

†

 Estimate or rate is unreliable because of small sample size and should be interpreted with caution. 
113

Appendix 5E: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children 10 to 14 Years, by 

Sex and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 

 Overall Male Female

 Rate per Rate per Rate per 

Weighted 100,000 100,000 100,000 

Cause Estimate population* population* population* 

Fall 3,947,358 3,136 3,612 2,636 

Struck By/Against 3,592,332 2,854 3,720 1,944 

Overexertion 1,695,386 1,347 1,383 1,309 

Cut/Pierce 955,592 759 952 557 

Pedal Cyclist 803,828 639 950 557 

Unknown/Unspecified 695,092 552 768 325 

Other Bite/Sting 616,105 489 327 282 

MV-Occupant 383,993 305 437 545 

Other Transport 377,430 300 299 300 

Dog Bite 239,484 190 229 150 

Foreign Body 158,813 126 131 121 

Other Specified 148,809 118 120 116 

Motorcyclist 127,388 101 171 28 

Fire/Burn 121,287 96 96 97 

Pedestrian 110,233 88 102 72 

Poisoning 78,433 62 59 65 

Bb/Pellet Gunshot 35,652 28 48 8 

Machinery 11,838 9 15 4 

Natural/Environment 10,400 8 9 7 

Suffocation 7,683 6 7 5 

Firearm Gunshot 4,303 3 6 1†

Nonfatal Drowning 2,867 2 3 2†

Total 14,124,306 11,220 13,443 8,887 

*Population 2001-2006: Overall 125,880,215; Male 64,475,429; Female 61,404,786 

†

 Rate is unreliable because of small sample size and should be interpreted with caution. 
114

Appendix 5F: Nonfatal Unintentional Injuries and Rates among Children 15 to 19 Years, by 

Sex and Cause, United States, 2001 – 2006 

 Overall Male Female

 Rate per Rate per Rate per 

Weighted 100,000 100,000 100,000 

Cause Estimate population* population* population* 

Struck By/Against 3,396,442 2,732 3,719 1,690 

Fall 2,707,182 2,178 2,464 1,875 

MV-Occupant 2,689,772 2,164 1,879 2,646 

Overexertion 2,341,004 1,883 2,244 1,502 

Cut/Pierce 1,360,356 1,094 1,491 675 

Unknown/Unspecified 638,354 514 768 244 

Other Bite/Sting 446,446 359 345 374 

Other Specified 441,460 355 387 322 

Other Transport 426,921 343 387 298 

Pedal Cyclist 320,066 257 424 81 

Poisoning 292,835 236 236 235 

Fire/Burn 248,940 200 214 1856 

Foreign Body 236,897 191 192 188 

Motorcyclist 191,766 154 265 37 

Dog Bite 139,568 112 119 105 

Pedestrian 121,072 97 104 90 

Machinery 118,833 96 152 36 

Natural/Environment 34,004 27 45 9 

Bb/Pellet Gunshot 28,923 23 41 5 

Firearm Gunshot 18,155 15 26 3 

Suffocation 5,471 4 6 3 

Nonfatal Drowning 1,783†

 1† 2† †

Total 16,206,250 13,036 15,510 10,423 

*Population 2001-2006: Overall 124,321,834; Male 63,853,430; Female 60,468,404 

†

 Estimate or rate is unreliable because of small sample size and should be interpreted with caution. 

1
115