Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1923-09-13
Accident Death
Toll Take Jump

Hdt Oou idtdi dCClucHlS III the Stdlc
of Georgia could have been prevented
during 1922 by the passage and en-
forcement of certain statutes, is the
report of the state bureau of vital sta
tistics, which has just been made pub
tic. There was total of ,48l deaths
attributed to accidents during the year
compared with 1888 in 1921, according
10 the report.
Legal restriction on the sale of fire
arms as one means of preventing fatal
acc dents, was urged in the report.
Following is the bureaus statement:
There were ! ,4S1 deaths ascrbed to
accident during 1922 as compared with
1888 in 1921 and 1873 in 1920. Care
lessness is not in all cases the cause
Of a fatal accident as such deaths are
classified, for there were no known
means by which the % deaths caused
by lightning could have been prevented
The two deaths due to careless handl-
ing Of machines and machinery, the zoo
NdbSNu ny llc IL ny IIG-
arms and the l4i by railroads, with
the IS caused by street cars, the 81 by
electricity and the 80 due to absorp-
ton of poisonous gases, a total of
coo. could have been prevented by
the passage and the enforcement of
certain statutes.
Boiler Explosions
THE 1 deaths due to boiler ex-
plosions could have been prevented by
the boiler inspection and control, safe
ty appliance would have prevented the
nine sawmill accidents, along with the
q deaths due to machine accidents.
Few communities during the last
year did not record death due to an
automobile being driven by some one
drunk or other wise not responsible
the 203 automobile accidents are clear
~ preventable.
SO long as the laws permit the un-
restricted sale and possession of pist-
OILS and shotguns, deaths due to such
accidents will increase as the number
OF firearms in the state increases. 1t
IS safe to say that with proper legis-
iation many of the 293 persons burn
ed to death and the l26 drowned dur
ing the year might have been saved,
as well as the 10 from food and 20
from drug poisoning.
Women are Victims
"Of the three deaths due to rattle
snake bites, one was child 7 years
old. This proportion holds good as
TO other accidental deaths, for approx
imateiy one-third. or, to be exact 81
per cent were children under IS and
death in S, 1917 per cent were under
10 years of age. Four out of ten ac-
cidental deaths were either women or
children under 10 Years of age.
1t parents cannot keep children from
playing with pistols and shotguns, they
should not be allowed to possess such
deadly weapons for 81 deaths of the
al firearms accidents were in children
under 10.
Poisons Claim Children
The dealers in poisons should not
be permitted to sell such articles to the
parents if they cannot keep them out
Of the reach of ignorant child, for in
the o. fatal mistakes in handling such
drugs 81 children lost their lives.
One third of all street car accidents
were children and 81 of the l26 who
were drowned were under 10 Years of
age. Parents should be forced to care
for their children and statutes passed
winch would safeguard their lives.
municipalities levy taxes for the pre-
ven'ion of malaria and appropriations
are Willingly made for the destruction
at the mosquito yet of the 276 persons
who died of burns l68 were under 10
years of age. Malaria killed only 1870
in this same period.
If the open fireplaces had been all
screend and the fires at the washpots
protected rs per cent of these deaths
N children would not have occurred. ,,
for in that manner was their clothing
set fire. OF these 168 victims who suf-
fered death from burning 10 were in
nocent children under one Year of age
"a between and 26 between and
and 43 between and TO- Certainly
the cities and counties should do some
thing by legislation to require safe
guards around open fires in the face of
this record of 1922.