Post Most Frequent Injuries Survival Causes of Death General Information Spinal cord injuries are catastrophic health events resulting in enormous human and economic costs. Estimates of spinal cord injury in the United States range from 2.8 to 5 per 100,000 people. Approximately 40 percent of spinal cord injuries are fatal, but data on spinal cord injuries in people dying prior to receiving treatment are inadequate. Males sustain about 80 percent of spinal cord injuries. Motor vehicle crashes are the primary cause of spinal cord injuries in the United States, accounting for about 50 percent of the cases.
Falls are the second leading cause, followed by diving.
In some urban settings, firearms and assaults are the major causes. Some spinal cord injuries occur after contact with the health care system. Appropriate handling of injured persons by medical care personnel will reduce the incidence of these injuries. Proper handling will also avoid more severe injury to those already injured. Increasing the awareness of emergency medical service personnel and others should be a priority for training programs and other injury prevention programs.