We know that just over 100 years ago, the 1918 pandemic took over 50 million lives around the world. Last year, car crashes resulted in over 50 million causalities and an estimated 1.25 million deaths worldwide. Being injured in a car accident is one of the leading causes of disability, and in some age groups, the leading cause of death.
From my practice treating survivors of severe auto accidents over the past two decades, I have seen up close the blink-of-an-eye devastation that forever changes the life trajectories of those injured and their family members. Traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain conditions, depression, anxiety, and panic disorders are often unleashed in the wake of a crash. Between 2008 and 2018, nearly 20 million people in the United States were seriously injured in car accidents. In many cases, victims are unable to return to their regular employment as a result of their injuries. The burden on the national economy is enormous. The human pain and suffering are truly unfathomable.
