Behind every wrongful death claim in Massachusetts is a death that official data was already tracking. State and federal agencies count fatal crashes, workplace deaths, and injury deaths every year, and the numbers tell a clear story about how Massachusetts residents die in preventable incidents. We pulled the most recent public data from the agencies that collect it and put it in one place, with every figure sourced. This page is a reference for families, reporters, and anyone trying to understand the scale of preventable death in the Commonwealth.
A note on what these numbers are and are not. They count deaths, not lawsuits. Not every fatal crash or workplace death becomes a wrongful death claim, and the data says nothing about fault in any single case. What it does show is where preventable death concentrates in Massachusetts, and which categories of loss families face most often.
Massachusetts roadway deaths, 2024
Motor vehicle crashes are the most common cause of the sudden, negligence-related deaths that lead to wrongful death claims. In 2024, Massachusetts recorded 363 motor vehicle crash deaths, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which draws on the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
Here is the paradox in the Massachusetts numbers. The state’s death rate was 5.1 per 100,000 people, the second-lowest of any state in the country, behind only Rhode Island. By that measure Massachusetts roads are among the safest in the nation. Yet the raw death count has not fallen the way the national count has, and hundreds of families still lose someone on the road every year. A low rate is cold comfort to the family that becomes a statistic.
Who dies on Massachusetts roads
The breakdown by road user matters, because it shows that the people dying are not only drivers. In 2024:
| Road user | 2024 deaths | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Car occupants | 97 | 27% |
| Pickup and SUV occupants | 96 | 26% |
| Pedestrians | 76 | 21% |
| Motorcyclists | 70 | 19% |
| Bicyclists | 10 | 3% |
Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Fatality Facts 2024. Categories cover the main road-user types and may not sum to the total, which includes other and unspecified occupants. No large-truck occupants died in Massachusetts crashes in 2024.
Two figures stand out. Pedestrians made up more than a fifth of all roadway deaths, and motorcyclists nearly another fifth. Together, people outside a passenger vehicle accounted for well over 40 percent of the deaths. These are the road users with the least protection and, often, the least fault. Pedestrian deaths in particular have been a persistent problem: Massachusetts recorded a modern high of 101 pedestrian deaths in 2022 before the count eased.
Each of these categories maps to a type of claim. We cover them at fatal car crashes, pedestrian deaths, motorcycle deaths, bicycle deaths, and truck crashes.
Workplace deaths in Massachusetts
Work is the other setting where sudden, preventable death is common. Massachusetts recorded 111 fatal work injuries in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Fatal work injuries are, by definition, largely preventable, which is why they so often raise questions of responsibility beyond the worker’s own employer.
The national pattern from the same 2023 census points to where the danger concentrates. Across the country, transportation incidents were the single most frequent fatal work event, at nearly 37 percent of all deaths. Construction was the deadliest industry sector of any, with 1,075 deaths nationwide, and within construction, falls, slips, and trips caused about 39 percent of those deaths. Most fatal construction falls were from heights between six and thirty feet, the everyday elevations of scaffolds, ladders, and roof edges.
Those mechanisms are exactly why a workplace death often supports a claim against someone other than the employer, a general contractor, an equipment maker, or another company on the site. We explain that in our guides to workplace fatalities and construction site deaths.
Falls and older adults
Not every preventable death is dramatic. Falls are the leading cause of injury death among adults age 65 and older in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For a frail older person, a fall from standing height can start a decline that ends in death weeks later. In a nursing home or assisted living setting, a fatal fall frequently traces back to a facility that failed to assess the resident’s risk or follow its own care plan. We cover that specific harm at nursing home fall deaths and the broader picture at nursing home wrongful death.
What the data means for families
Read together, the numbers make a few things plain. Preventable death in Massachusetts is concentrated on the roads and at work, and it falls hardest on the least protected: people on foot, on motorcycles, and older residents in the care of others. A statistically safe state still produces hundreds of these deaths a year, and each one leaves a family to sort out what happened and whether someone is answerable for it.
That question, whether the death was preventable and who is responsible, is what a wrongful death claim examines. In Massachusetts the claim is brought by the estate’s personal representative on behalf of the family. We explain the whole framework in our Massachusetts wrongful death guide, including who can file and what the family can recover.
Methodology and sources
Every figure on this page comes from a public agency dataset. We report the most recent year available from each source as of July 2026 and link to the original so anyone can verify it.
- Roadway deaths: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Fatality Facts 2024 (Massachusetts), which is built on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System. State provisional counts from MassDOT have ranged slightly around this figure; we use the IIHS number for consistency.
- Workplace deaths: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2023 (Massachusetts state total and national event and industry breakdowns).
- Falls among older adults: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, injury and fall-prevention data.
Journalists and other sites are welcome to cite this page. If you need the underlying figures or a specific breakdown for a story, call us at 617-415-2100.
Questions people ask
Do these numbers mean every one of these deaths is a wrongful death case?
No. The data counts deaths, not claims, and says nothing about fault in any individual case. A wrongful death claim requires showing that someone’s negligence caused the death. The statistics show where preventable death concentrates, not who is liable.
Why is the Massachusetts road-death rate so low but the count still high?
Massachusetts has one of the lowest death rates per capita and per mile driven in the country, which reflects factors like slower urban speeds and shorter trips. Rate and raw count are different measures. A low rate across millions of people still produces hundreds of deaths a year.
Where does the workplace figure come from?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries each year with state partners. Massachusetts recorded 111 fatal work injuries in 2023 in that census. The industry and event breakdowns cited here are national figures from the same census, noted as national in the text.
Can I use these statistics?
Yes. The figures come from public agencies, and we cite each source. If you are writing about preventable death in Massachusetts and want the underlying data or an attributed quote, contact us.
Related guides
Complete guide · Who can file · What families recover · Fatal car crashes · Workplace fatalities
Attorney at Scalli Murphy Law, P.C. Massachusetts personal injury and wrongful death practice since 1994. This overview is general information and not legal advice.
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