St. Louis Children’s Hospital

Falls - Injury Statistics and Incidence Rates

The following statistics were are the latest available from the National SAFE KIDS Campaign:

Injury and death rates:

• More than 2.3 million children ages 14 and under are treated annually at hospital emergency rooms for fall-related injuries.
• Recent reports show falls killed about 80 children ages 14 and under in one year.
• More than half of fall-related injuries among children occur among ages five and under.
• About 18 children ages 10 and under die annually from falls from windows. Another 4,700 children ages 14 and under will require treatment each year for window fall-related injuries.

Where and when:

• Infants are more likely to fall from furniture, baby walkers, and stairs.
• Toddlers tend to fall from windows.
• Older children fall more often from playground equipment.

Who:

• Children ages 10 and under sustain fall-related injuries twice as often as other children.
• Boys are twice as likely to die from fall-related injuries than girls.

Playgrounds:

• Each year, nearly 207,000 children, ages 14 and under, require emergency room treatment due to playground falls .
• The most severe playground-related injuries are due to falls (90 percent). One-third of playground-related fatalities are due to falls.
• Children ages four and under tend to suffer injuries to the face and head from playground-related injuries, while older children are more likely to injure arms or hands.

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Online Resources of Safety & Injury Prevention