South Dakota ranks 5th in the nation for most accidental deaths

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – South Dakota ranks 5th in the nation for the highest rate of accidental deaths according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The leading cause of these kinds of death in the Mount Rushmore State is firearm injuries.

Many of these incidents can be prevented by learning more about firearm safety and knowing what to do if an accident occurs.

“The firearm thing is making sure that you’re securing your firearm properly when you are at home or if you do take a firearm in the vehicle to obviously have it secured in the vehicle properly,” said Robert Rendon, EMS Section Chief. “Just making sure that when you’re traveling in a vehicle that somebody knows you have a weapon in the car or if you’re at home making sure people aren’t wandering off into areas that you have your firearms.”

Drug overdoses, choking, and poisoning from household chemicals are other common types of accidental deaths in the United States. The Rapid City Fire Department encourages people to be prepared for any of these circumstances.

“Knowing how to do CPR, knowing how to do all those things in an emergency situation like that to at least help the person before the fire department and the ambulance can get there,” Rendon said.

Drowning is also one of the most common accidental deaths and with summer just starting Rendon encourages families to have a life jacket when children are around water and for adults to watch their alcohol intake while swimming.

Copyright 2023 KOTA. All rights reserved.