What industries have the most wrongful death cases per year and why?

Work-related deaths occur in just about every industry. No matter how easy the work or how safe the environment, it is nearly impossible to completely avoid accidents or negligence.

Some industries are more prone to have employees injured or killed on the job. In these, industries, companies and employers know the risk is higher, so they seek to do everything they can to make sure they are covered should the unthinkable occur.

Wrongful death lawyers in Indianapolis are ready to guide your family through the painful process of pursuing a wrongful death suit.

How Often Do People Suffer Death Due to Workplace Injuries?

A few industries probably come to mind when considering a possibly dangerous occupation. Construction workers, police officers, the military, and many other present obvious risks.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 5,147 employee deaths in 2017. 2,077 deaths occurred in transportation/traffic incidents, 887 were caused by falls or slips, 807 from homicide or animal-related injuries, with the remaining coming from factors like exposure to harmful substances, trauma from equipment, and fires/explosions. The surviving family members can file a wrongful death case lawsuit if their loved one has been killed due to another’s negligence. However, claimants have to comply with specific deadlines known as the Wrongful Death Statute of Limitations.

For example- according to California law, surviving family members have two years from the date of an accident or death to submit their compensation claims.

What Industries are Responsible for the Most Fatal Accidents in the United States?

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics determines its fatality rate by the number of deaths in an industry per 100,000 full-time employees.

The construction industry has the most fatalities overall each year, but because it also has a very high number of employees, there are only around 10 deaths per 100,000 employees.

Using this method, they have concluded that the following industries are the most dangerous:

Top 10 industries that had the greatest number of fatal work injuries per 100,000 employees

  1. Fishing & hunting related workers: 99.8 per 100,000
  2. Logging workers: 84.3 per 100,000
  3. Aircraft pilots: 48.6 per 100,000
  4. Roofers: 45.2 per 100,000
  5. Recyclable materials collectors: 35.0 per 100,000
  6. Iron/Steelworkers: 33.4 per 100,000
  7. Truck drivers: 26.8 per 100,000 (987 total–the highest among all industries)
  8. Farmers and ranchers: 24.0 per 100,000
  9. Lawn service and groundskeeping workers: 21.0 per 100,000
  10. Power-line installation and repair workers: 18.7 per 100,000 employees in the United States

Industries with the most overall deaths in the United States

The previous list was calculated on the number of deaths per 100,000 employees. Industries listed below may not appear on that list because they have a high number of employees, so the workplace-death-per-employee ratio is not as high.

  1. Construction (971)
  2. Transportation and warehousing (882)
  3. Fishing, hunting, and forestry (581)
  4. Professional services (532),
  5. Government industries (473)
  6. Manufacturing (303)
  7. Retail industries (287)
  8. Hospitality industries (262)
  9. Public administration (205)
  10. Education and health industries (189)

What are the Reasons for Wrongful Deaths?

The reasons wrongful death claims are high in some industries generally correlate to the potential danger of the job itself.

Fishing & Hunting Related Workers

41 people that worked in hunting, fishing, and related industries in 2017 perished due to workplace injuries. The industry had 99.8 deaths per 100,000 employees in the United States: the highest of all in the United States.

Logging Workers

Logging is dangerous for obvious reasons. Employees are working with huge machinery, cutting down even bigger trees, and more often than not, the only way to transport to a hospital is by helicopter. 84.3 deaths per 100,000 logging workers were caused in 2017.

Pilots and Flight Engineers

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that aircraft pilot injuries almost always end in a fatality. In 2017, there were 59 deaths that resulted from workplace injuries in the pilot industry.

You or a designated representative can still file worker’s compensation claims when a loved one dies as the result of injuries suffered on the job. Regardless of how minor the negligence, you still deserve to be compensated for your loss.

Whatever the cause of a fatal accident or work-related death, it is essential you find an experienced wrongful death lawyer to handle your case. During this time or grief, you need someone who is qualified to handle the complexities of a wrongful death suit.