It’s not surprising to find that auto accidents are down since the virus because we all know
more people are staying at home, and since there is less traffic, there are fewer accidents. But there are some down stream effects of this phenomenon.
In April organ procurement organizations typically see a surge in donations related to outdoor, spring break-related activities and travel, but not this year.
From March 8 to April 11, the number of organ donors who died in traffic collisions was down 23% nationwide compared with the same period last year, while donors who died in all other types of accidents were down 21%, according to data from UNOS.
“Spring break accidents are almost nonexistent because there’s no spring break — beach accidents, motorcycle accidents, hunting accidents,” said Janice Whaley, CEO of Donor Network West, which manages organ donations for Northern California and Nevada.
Doctors said they’ve also noticed a decline in emergency room visits overall, not just for accidents, and this may also be limiting the supply of donor organs.
“Where are all the people with heart attacks? Where are all the people with strokes?” said George Rutherford, a professor and infectious disease physician at the University of California-San Francisco. “Are those patients staying away from the ERs for fear of COVID? Clearly, the census is way down in ERs.”
Robin Nightingale focuses her practice as a personal injury attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.
For more information, visit our website at www.ClearwaterPersonalInjuryAttorney.net
or call (727) 210-8800