Maine is the most injury-prone state, according to a new report.
The data examined the number of emergency room visits based on the population of all 50 states in 2021. The results showed the Pine Tree State had nearly 600 cases per 1,000 residents that year. That's almost 800,000 visits.
The Southern states followed closely behind, with Louisiana coming in second and Kentucky third.
Nevada, meanwhile, was considered the state with the lowest risk of accidents, with just 227 cases per 1,000 residents.
An increase in Covid cases at the time due to the Delta variant could have led to inflated numbers across the country.
Maine had the most emergency room visits in 2021, at 595 per 1,000 residents, according to data from the American Health Association
Some of the most common reasons for an emergency room visit include chest pain, back pain, fever, traumatic accidents, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, confusion, alcohol poisoning, falls, and allergic reactions
Dr. Amr Hosny, a spokesman for New York Pain Care, which conducted the research, said: “This data provides a fascinating insight into the conditions most susceptible to injury, whether self-inflicted or caused by a third party.”
Researchers examined the most recent 2021 data 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 rescue calls from ambulance records.
Maine had the highest number of annual emergency room visits at 596 per 1,000 residents. That adds up to 813,000 visits in 2021, about three percent of all trips across the United States. It's also about 34 percent higher than the state average of 393.
Maine also had the highest number of workplace injuries at 41 per 1,000 full-time workers.
The most common workplace injuries include falls, back strain, and impacts from moving objects.
Louisiana had the second most emergency room visits at 535 per 1,000 residents. However, there were the lowest number of workplace accidents here, namely only 16 per 1,000 workers.
Kentucky ranked third with 525 visits per 1,000 residents and ninth in workplace injuries. The Bluegrass State reported 26 workplace injuries per 1,000 workers.
West Virginia is just behind Kentucky, reporting 524 emergency room visits per 1,000 residents and 24 workplace injuries per 1,000 workers.
Nevada, on the other hand, had the lowest emergency room visits of its population at 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 results were based on data from 2021, suggesting that the spread of Covid could have led to inflated results.
The Delta variant, first identified in India in late 2020, had gained traction in the United States by 2021.
At the time, experts warned that Louisiana — the second-largest state in emergency room visits — could suffer “a surprising number of deaths” from Delta. At that point, Louisiana had reported more than 487,000 Covid cases and 10,000 deaths.
However, Nevada was also mentioned in this forecast, even though it had the lowest number of emergency room visits.
Some of the most common reasons for an emergency room visit include chest pain, back pain, fever, traumatic accidents, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, confusion, alcohol poisoning, falls, and allergic reactions.