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