Arizona has seen a steady rise in trauma injuries

Arizonans are getting hurt more frequently than they were just a few years ago. New data from the Arizona Department of Health Services shows a steady increase in trauma injuries from 2017 to 2023.

The State Trauma Advisory Board report shows more than 71,000 falls, assaults, motor vehicle incidents and other trauma injuries last year. The rate of these incidents per 100,000 residents increased more than 25% from 2017 to 2023.

Most of that increase was due to a growing number of fall incidents. Last year, nearly 37,000 falls were reported in Arizona, accounting for more than half of all trauma injuries in the state. That compares to about 21,000 falls reported in 2017.

The vast majority of falls in the state are among adults over 65. Falls led to more than 22,000 hospitalizations, 664 deaths and about $2.5 billion in hospital charges in Arizona in 2023, health department data shows.

The State Trauma Advisory Board says it has expanded its fall prevention training for emergency workers in response to the uptick.

Other types of trauma injuries have also increased since 2017 in Arizona. Motorcycle injuries increased from about 1,900 incidents in 2017 to about 2,400 last year. Men aged 18 to 24 experienced motorcycle injuries at the highest rate in the state.

Bite and sting injuries, primarily among babies and toddlers, have also increased. 572 bite and sting injuries were reported in 2017, while 995 were reported last year.