Special Report

States With the Most Fatal Accidents

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Abruptly losing a loved one in an accident is one of life’s greatest tragedies. While often regarded as rare, approximately one American dies in an accident every four minutes. In fact, fatalities from car crashes, drug overdoses, and other accidents are the most common types of death in the first half of an American’s life.

Nationwide, 43.2 Americans died as a result of some form of accident for every 100,000 people in 2015, but not all states report the same rate of deadly accidents. In Maryland, 29.7 people died of accidents per 100,000 state residents — the state where deadly accidents are most rare. West Virginia has the highest rate of deaths from accidents with 77.9 deaths per 100,000 residents.

With data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the accidental death rate in every state.

Click here to see the states with the most fatal accidents.

Poisoning is the leading cause of accidental death nationwide, and the vast majority of these deaths are from accidental drug overdoses. Opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 1999 and are the most common form of drug overdose.

Accidental drug overdose rates vary more between states than any other leading cause of accidental death and explain much of the variances between states. In West Virginia, for example, the unintentional overdose rate of 37.2 per 100,000 residents is over six times higher than in Maryland, the state with the lowest rate of accidental drug overdoses.

After poisoning, motor vehicle accidents and falls are the next leading causes of accidental death. Combined with poisoning, these three causes account for 79% of all accidental deaths nationwide.

Many steps have been taken to reduce the likelihood of a deadly accident. Between 1975 and 2008, seat belts saved an estimated 255,000 lives. Exercise programs for older adults have helped reduce falls in some areas by as much as 50%. However, the explosion of opioid use has overshadowed these and other improvements as the accidental death rate has risen for the sixth year in a row.

To determine the states with the most and least deadly accidents, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2015 accidental death rate in each state with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of accidental deaths, the leading cause of accidental deaths, as well as the number of accidental deaths from falls, drug overdoses, and motor vehicle accidents were also obtained from the CDC.

These are the states with the most fatal accidents.

Johns Hopkins, Maryland
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50. Maryland
> Accidental death rate: 29.7 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 1,903
> Leading cause of accidental death: Falls
> Accidental deaths from falls: 620

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New York City, Manhattan
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49. New York
> Accidental death rate: 30.2 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 6,515
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 2,326

The historic cable car on San francisco city, california
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48. California
> Accidental death rate: 30.6 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 12,544
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 4,002

Honolulu County, Hawaii
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47. Hawaii
> Accidental death rate: 32.2 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 536
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 139

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Hudson County, New Jersey
Wikimedia Commons

46. New Jersey
> Accidental death rate: 33.7 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 3,218
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 1,326

Chicago, Illinois
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45. Illinois
> Accidental death rate: 35.8 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 4,850
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 1,587

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Houston, Texas 3
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44. Texas
> Accidental death rate: 37.4 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 9,976
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 3,722

Lincoln, Nebraska
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43. Nebraska
> Accidental death rate: 38.9 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 799
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 268

Arlington County, Virginia
Wikimedia Commons

42. Virginia
> Accidental death rate: 39.6 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 3,429
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 881

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Yakima, Washington
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41. Washington
> Accidental death rate: 41.9 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 3,192
> Leading cause of accidental death: Falls
> Accidental deaths from falls: 953

Boundary Waters, Minnesota
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40. Minnesota
> Accidental death rate: 42.0 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 2,574
> Leading cause of accidental death: Falls
> Accidental deaths from falls: 1,089

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Iowa
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39. Iowa
> Accidental death rate: 42.1 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 1,537
> Leading cause of accidental death: Falls
> Accidental deaths from falls: 555

Augusta, Georgia
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38. Georgia
> Accidental death rate: 43.2 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 4,344
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 1,471

Detroit, Michigan
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37. Michigan
> Accidental death rate: 43.9 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 4,647
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 1,556

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Boston, Massachusetts
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36. Massachusetts
> Accidental death rate: 44.0 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 3,229
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 1,606

North Dakota Badlands
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35. North Dakota
> Accidental death rate: 44.1 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 368
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 137

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Salem, Oregon
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34. Oregon
> Accidental death rate: 44.5 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 1,999
> Leading cause of accidental death: Falls
> Accidental deaths from falls: 730

Snake River Canyon, Idaho
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33. Idaho
> Accidental death rate: 44.7 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 746
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 243

Litchfield County, Connecticut
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32. Connecticut
> Accidental death rate: 44.8 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 1,799
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 720

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Hawthorne (Mineral County), Nevada
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31. Nevada
> Accidental death rate: 45.4 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 1,340
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 517

St. George, Utah
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30. Utah
> Accidental death rate: 45.6 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 1,223
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 427

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Delaware Route 41
Wikimedia Commons

29. Delaware
> Accidental death rate: 46.0 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 449
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 169

Naples, Florida
Wikimedia Commons

28. Florida
> Accidental death rate: 46.2 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 10,578
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 2,772

Kansas freeway
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27. Kansas
> Accidental death rate: 47.2 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 1,475
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 398

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Indianapolis at sunrise
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26. Indiana
> Accidental death rate: 47.7 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 3,258
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 1,060

Elizabeth City, North Carolina
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25. North Carolina
> Accidental death rate: 47.9 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 4,991
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 1,518

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Stowe, Vermont
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24. Vermont
> Accidental death rate: 48.4 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 346
> Leading cause of accidental death: Falls
> Accidental deaths from falls: 145

Arizona road
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23. Arizona
> Accidental death rate: 49.2 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 3,539
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 998

Farm, Wisconsin
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22. Wisconsin
> Accidental death rate: 49.3 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 3,206
> Leading cause of accidental death: Falls
> Accidental deaths from falls: 1,341

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South Dakota
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21. South Dakota
> Accidental death rate: 49.5 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 469
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 143

Pine Bluff, Arkansas
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20. Arkansas
> Accidental death rate: 49.6 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 1,538
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 593

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Flatirons Boulder, Colorado
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19. Colorado
> Accidental death rate: 49.7 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 2,725
> Leading cause of accidental death: Falls
> Accidental deaths from falls: 850

St. Louis, Missouri
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18. Missouri
> Accidental death rate: 50.9 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 3,309
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 888

Birmingham Alabama
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17. Alabama
> Accidental death rate: 50.9 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 2,552
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 962

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York County, Pennsylvania
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16. Pennsylvania
> Accidental death rate: 52.0 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 7,324
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 2,951

Providence-Warwick, Rhode Island
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15. Rhode Island
> Accidental death rate: 53.1 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 649
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 281

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Mount Katahdin, Baxter State Park, Maine
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14. Maine
> Accidental death rate: 53.8 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 802
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 239

Traffic Out of Charleston, South Carolina
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13. South Carolina
> Accidental death rate: 54.0 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 2,737
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 985

Baton Rouge, Louisiana
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12. Louisiana
> Accidental death rate: 54.7 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 2,578
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 805

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Cincinnati, Ohio
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11. Ohio
> Accidental death rate: 55.9 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 6,756
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 3,053

Billings, Montana
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10. Montana
> Accidental death rate: 56.3 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 637
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 220

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Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee
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9. Tennessee
> Accidental death rate: 56.4 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 3,873
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 1,269

Alaska
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8. Alaska
> Accidental death rate: 57.9 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 388
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 105

Dartmouth, New Hampshire
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7. New Hampshire
> Accidental death rate: 59.0 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 815
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 369

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Biloxi Beach at Sunset, Mississippi
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6. Mississippi
> Accidental death rate: 59.8 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 1,814
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 769

Oklahoma City Sunrise
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5. Oklahoma
> Accidental death rate: 60.1 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 2,422
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 673

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Wyoming Winter Traffic Jam
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4. Wyoming
> Accidental death rate: 65.8 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 400
> Leading cause of accidental death: Motor Vehicle Accidents
> Motor vehicle accident deaths: 134

Kentucky Tobacco Field With Barn and Silo in Background
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3. Kentucky
> Accidental death rate: 66.0 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 2,962
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 1,144

Family trip new mexico
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2. New Mexico
> Accidental death rate: 67.3 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 1,430
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 417

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Cabell County, West Virginia
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1. West Virginia
> Accidental death rate: 77.9 (per 100,000)
> Accidental deaths: 1,516
> Leading cause of accidental death: Poison
> Accidental deaths from drug overdoses: 647

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