Fremont County Coroner 2009 Summary & Comparison (as of 01/15/2010)

(National Statistic Comparison from CDC-National Vital Statistics System, 2007, most recent available)

 Current Manner of Death Statistics are at the bottom of the Page.

TOTALS: There have been 343 recorded deaths in Fremont County for 2009:

1. 61.8% were Coroner Cases (212)
2. The total number of Coroner Cases has decreased slightly from 2009 (235).

 CASES: Among Coroner cases for 2009, 27.8% were “non-natural” in manner (accident, homicide, suicide, undetermined).  Of those:

1. The number of accidental deaths is 36, 2.4 times higher than the national average for our population.  The number of accidental deaths has slowly been trending higher for the last ten years, and the highest number since 1980.
2. The number of deaths by suicide is 8, four less than 2008. This is still two times the national average for our population.
3. The number of deaths by homicide is 14, 6.3 times the national average for our population.  Eight of the fourteen are motor-vehicle homicides, and excluding them, our numbers are still almost three times the national average for our population. Fourteen homicides equals the number for 2008, the highest yearly number on record tracking back to the year 1885.
4. Motor-vehicle/Traffic deaths: There have been 26 motor vehicle deaths in 2009, including 18 accidental deaths, and eight vehicular homicides.  53.8% of the total involved alcohol and/or drugs.  The rate here for traffic fatalities is 4.8 times the national average for our population. Only four of the 26 fatalities were using their seatbelts, with 15 of the deaths from single-vehicle roll-overs.

 POSITIVE  NOTES:

1. It has been 6 years in a row without any completed youth suicides (age 17 and under).  Statistically, this is highly unusual, considering our general rates are higher than national rates.
2. While the general suicide rate is about twice the national average, numbers have gone consistently down from 2006, when it was over four times the national average.

 DRUGS AND ALCOHOL:

1. Drugs and Alcohol related deaths account for 41 of the 212 cases, or 19.3%, a slight decrease from 2009.   Of the non-natural deaths, 31 of 59 were drug/alcohol related, or 52.5% – also a slight decrease over 2009.
2. Of those drug and alcohol related deaths, the primary substance of abuse in Fremont County remains Alcohol, followed by prescription drugs.
3. For deaths involving alcohol, the average BA level in accidents is 0.27, & the average BA level in motor-vehicle homicides is 0.23  Both are approximately three times the legal limit of 0.08
4. There were three drowning accidents in the summer of 2009, and all three involved the use of alcohol.  These were the first drownings since 2005, and represent a rate 7.2 times the national average for our population.

 BUDGET

1. Current budget usage stands at 57.4%. Minus the $22,829.03 expended for unanticipated search and recovery efforts, budget usage would stand at 50.2%

Below are the current Manner of Death statistics, 2004 through 2009, most current date available: