Accidental injury rises to third leading cause of death in the U.S.

For the first time since records have been kept, preventable injuries have become the third leading cause of death in the United States, the National Safety Council (NSC) announced Wednesday. In fact, data shows that preventable deaths rose 10 percent in 2016.

The increase was largely due to an uptick in fatal motor vehicle crashes and drug overdoses, particularly the ongoing opioid crisis. According to the NSC, the opioid crisis claimed the lives of 37,814 people who overdosed on prescription opioid pain relievers, fentanyl and heroin in 2016.  Read more…