Even Deion Needs Some Safety Support
Deion Sanders once hit a home run and scored a touchdown at the highest level of professional baseball and American football in the same week. But despite seeming superhuman, he’s also no stranger to health problems.
The truth? Superheroes aren’t invincible. Anyone can get hurt at any moment. Even you.
Here are 10 common accidents, injuries, and illnesses that affect millions of people every year:
1. Cancer
While we hear a lot about the big three cancers—breast, lung, and prostate—these are only a few variants of the disease. Sadly, there are over 200 types of cancer,1 and 1 in 3 Black Americans will develop one of them in their lifetime.2
2. Car crashes
This might not be a new concern, but it’s important to keep in mind. Especially when there are about 13 car accidents every minute.3
3. Falls
Older people aren’t the only ones crying out for help. Countless falls happen every year, resulting in millions of emergency room visits. After all, 1 in 5 falls causes a serious injury such as a broken bone or concussion.4
4. Genetic diseases
Sickle cell and other genetic diseases are more rare than other items on this list, but they happen. A lot. In fact, 70 million to 80 million people in the world have a genetic disease.5
5. Glaucoma
You might not see this one coming—literally. Half of people who have glaucoma don’t know they have the eye disease. Still, it’s the second-leading cause of blindness worldwide and impairs the vision of millions of Americans.6
6. Heart disease
The leading cause of death in the U.S. can take many forms, including coronary artery disease. The result? Heart disease can strike at any time. And that’s not just a saying—someone has a heart attack in the U.S. every 40 seconds.7
7. Heat exhaustion/heat stroke
Between beach days, gardening, and good ol’ vitamin D, there are plenty of reasons to be out in the sun. But you don’t want to stay there too long. Heat-related illnesses send more than 67,000 people in the U.S. to the emergency room every year.8
8. Pneumonia
The common cold isn’t the only thing that can make you cough and ache. A cousin of the flu,9 pneumonia lands a million U.S. adults in the hospital each year. 10
9. Sports injuries
More than 3.5 million children ages 14 and younger are injured playing sports each year.11 When you add in every athlete 15 and up plus the adults who get hurt trying to relive their “glory days,” that number climbs even higher.
10. Workplace injuries
You don’t have to be a professional athlete to get injured at work. Wear and tear is a real thing. And accidents happen—especially in blue-collar jobs. That’s part of why Black Americans and Hispanic Americans average eight missed workdays per work injury.12
Ready to game plan?
We can direct you to an insurance provider who can help. Let's start with the basics–what type of insurance are you interested in? We do not sell or share your information. We will use it to send you personalized information based on your interests.
Want More? Browse These Topics:
[1] Cancer Research UK. “Types of cancer.” Reviewed 7.1.2020. Accessed 8.11.2022.
[2] American Cancer Society. “Cancer Facts & Figures for African American/Black People 2022-2024.” Published 2022. Accessed 8.11.2022.
[3] Bankrate. “Car crash statistics.” Published 7.26.2022. Accessed 8.11.2022.
[4] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Facts About Falls.” Reviewed 8.6.2021. Accessed 8.11.2022.
[5] Gene Home. “Impact of Genetic Diseases.” Accessed 8.11.2022.
[6] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Don’t Let Glaucoma Steal Your Sight!” Reviewed 11.24.2020. Accessed 8.11.2022.
[7] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Heart Disease Facts.” Reviewed 7.15.2022.Accessed 8.11.2022.
[8] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Heat & Health Tracker.” Accessed 8.11.2022.
[9] American Lung Association. “What Is The Connection Between Influenza and Pneumonia?” Updated 10.23.2020. Accessed 10.23.2020.
[10] American Thoracic Society. “Top 20 Pneumonia Facts—2019.” Accessed 8.11.2022.
[11] Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. “Sports Injury Statistics.” Accessed 8.11.2022.
[12] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities.” Modified 11.4.2020. Accessed 8.11.2022.