Maine has been ranked the most injury-prone state, according to a new report.
Data looked at the number of ER visits based on the populations of all 50 states in 2021. The results showed that the Pine Tree state had nearly 600 cases per 1,000 residents that year. This is almost 800,000 visits.
Southern states followed closely behind, with Louisiana coming in second and Kentucky taking third place.
Nevada, meanwhile, was deemed the least accident-prone state, with just 227 cases per 1,000 residents.
A surge in Covid cases at the time from the Delta variant could have led to inflated figures across the country.
Maine had the most ER visits in 2021, with 595 per 1,000 residents, according to data from the American Health Association
Common reasons for an emergency room trip include chest pain, back pain, fever, traumatic accidents, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, confusion, alcohol poisoning, falls, and allergic reactions
Dr Amr Hosny, a spokesperson for New York Pain Care, who conducted the research, said: ‘This data provides a fascinating insight into which states are most injury-prone, whether that be self-inflicted or caused by a third party.’
Researchers looked at 2021 data, the most recent available, from the American Health Association to determine how many emergency room visits occurred per 1,000 residents in each state.
They also analyzed workplace injury data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the number of emergency service responses from ambulance records.
Maine had the highest number of annual ER visits, with 596 per 1,000 residents. This adds up to 813,000 visits in 2021, about three percent of all trips across the US. It’s also about 34 percent higher than the national average, 393.
Maine also had the highest number of workplace injury accidents, with 41 per 1,000 full-time workers.
Common workplace injuries include falling, straining your back, and being struck by moving objects.
Louisiana had the second-most ER visits, with 535 per 1,000 residents. However, it had the lowest number of workplace injuries, totaling just 16 for every 1,000 workers.
Kentucky took third place, having 525 visits per 1,000 people, and ranked ninth in terms of workplace injuries. The Bluegrass state reported 26 workplace injuries per 1,000 workers.
West Virginia just barely edged behind Kentucky, reporting 524 ER visits per 1,000 residents and 24 workplace injuries per 1,000 workers.
Nevada, meanwhile, had the fewest ER visits for its population, with 227 per 1,000 residents.
Hawaii and Maryland also rounded out the bottom of the list, with 274 and 272 visits per 1,000 residents, respectively.
The findings were based on 2021 data, which suggests that the spread of Covid could have led to more inflated results.
The Delta variant, which was first identified in India in late 2020, had gained traction in the US by 2021.
At the time, experts warned that Louisiana – the second-place state for ER visits – could suffer ‘a surprising amount of deaths’ from Delta. At the time, Louisiana had reported more than 487,000 Covid cases and 10,000 deaths.
However, Nevada was also named in that prediction, even though it had the least amount of ER visits.
Common reasons for an emergency room trip include chest pain, back pain, fever, traumatic accidents, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, confusion, alcohol poisoning, falls, and allergic reactions.
