This State Has The Highest Rate Of Deadly Accidents

Spring is finally here: The sun is peeking out, birds are chirping, and, oh yeah — people are dying in weird, tragic accidents. But, as USA Today reports, some states are home to more deadly accidents than others. The data were originally collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Specifically, this was the age-adjusted accidental death rate for each state, which covered everything from car accidents to falls to poisonings. Then, analyses from 24/7 Wall Street adjusted the data according to the population of each state, revealing where the most accidental deaths are concentrated. Researchers also looked at causes of those deaths, plus violent crime statistics — to put the numbers in context. Turns out, West Virginia topped the charts with 71.5 accidental deaths per 100,000 residents. Oklahoma took second place with 62.6 per 100,000 and New Mexico came in third with 58.8. And, somewhat surprisingly, New York actually had the lowest rate, at just 27.5 per 100,000.  Interestingly, West Virginians have showed up on a few other unfavorable rankings recently. For instance, they were in last place on the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index of the happiest and healthiest states. They were also at the bottom of FitBit's rankings of the most active states in winter. Also, West Virginia ranked as the state taking the most mood-altering drugs, so perhaps it's not a surprise that nearly all of the poisoning deaths in the state were drug-related. New York, meanwhile, was only the 33rd happiest/healthiest state — but at least we ranked as the most active state in both summer and winter. We're more than happy to continue that trend.