There was excellent news from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Federal data shows a 40 percent drop in the rate of child accident related deaths in Minnesota with a change from 205 youths ages 0 to 19 dying in 2000, compared to 122 in 2009. Compared to other states, Minnesota had the ninth lowest rate of deaths of children due to unintentional injuries in 2009.
There are still ongoing concerns about rural roads and drunk driving deaths, both of which have continued to stay high as causes for the deaths.
The improvement seems to be linked to:
– Awareness
– Educational efforts
– Safety changes with car seats
– Laws concerning teen driving
It is hoped that this trend continues.
With any death in a Minnesota motor vehicle collision, there are a number of issues that will need to be reviewed. My partner, Joe Crumley, addressed this topic in an article for the Minnesota Lawyers Trial magazine and I was interviewed on the same topic
