The true economic cost of Connecticut highway fatalities

We often discuss the pain and suffering that is sustained by families and communities as a result of fatal car accidents, but today we are going to be focusing on the monetary losses that result from these deaths.

According to an infographic that was created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle fatalities in the year 2005 alone resulted in $41 billion in financial losses nationally, including medical and work loss costs.

In Connecticut, crash-related deaths resulted in $263 million in medical and work lost costs that same year. Accidents claiming the lives of young adults ages 20 to 34 were the costliest, resulting in $155 million in costs in 2005, according to the CDC.

The CDC reported that hundreds of Connecticut residents lose their lives in motor vehicle accidents each year, resulting in significant economic losses and heartbreak to the victims’ family and friends. The CDC suggests that the best way to cut both of these losses is by preventing fatalities before they occur by enforcing seatbelt laws, motorcycle helmet laws and other initiatives that target highway safety.

Part of the goal of wrongful death lawsuits following fatal car accidents is to recover some of the monetary losses that were sustained as a result of accidents caused by negligence. A victim’s family is often able to pursue damages from negligent parties to help cover medical expenses, funeral and burial costs and lost wages.

Of course, the biggest loss that results from a fatal car accident is the one that is suffered by the victim’s family and friends, who must cope with losing a loved one. Sometimes this can also be compensable in wrongful death lawsuits through damages for pain and suffering.