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Most injuries are predictable and preventable. Unfortunately, they continue to happen to Albertans at tremendous financial and human cost. The economic burden of unintentional injuries costs Albertans $1.8 billion or $662 for every individual every year. Unintentional injuries are those where there is no intent to do harm and include those injuries caused by motor vehicle collisions, poisonings, falls and drownings. Injuries where a person purposefully inflicts harm upon themselves or others are intentional injuries and includes suicide, assault, abuse and homicide. The $1.8 billion does not include costs of intentional injuries. Nor does it include the heartache and human suffering experienced by the friends and families of those who experience fatal or life changing injuries.

In Alberta:

Everyday, 3 Albertans die due to injury.
For every injury death, there are 24 injury-related hospital admissions and 278 injury-related emergency department visits.
Injury is the leading cause of death for those aged 1 to 44 years.
Leading causes of injury death, injury-related hospitalizations and injury-related emergency department visits are suicide, motor vehicle crashes and falls.

Facts on Suicide

In 2006, there were 425 suicide deaths in Alberta.
More than 1,700 Albertans were hospitalized for self-inflicted injuries and more than 5,400 were treated in emergency departments for self-inflicted injuries.
Males accounted for 75% of all suicide deaths.

Facts on Motor Vehicle Injuries

Every week in 2006, there were 432 traffic collisions, 432 deaths and over 3,800 hospital admission and over 33,000 emergency department visits.
People wearing occupant restraints who were involved in a collision had a much lower injury rate (9.13%) than those not using restraints (36.5%). Non-restraint users were three times as likely as restraint users to be injured.
More than 22% of drivers involved in fatal collisions had consumed alcohol prior to the crash.

Facts on Falls

Every year there are over 12,500 hospitalizations due to fall related injuries. Emergency departments treated more than 98,000 fall related injuries.
Of the hospital admissions due to falls, 56% were seniors aged 65 and greater.
In 2006, of the seniors admitted to hospital for an injury 76% were due to falls.
Children and youth from 1 to19 years account for 36% of the fall related injuries treated in emergency departments.

For more facts on specific injury issues, see the following FACT Sheets: