There were more falls, poisonings, firearms accidents and car crashes in 2000 in Hamilton County than the year before, according to a health department report.

        Fatal injuries increased 16 percent in the county last year, despite efforts to raise public awareness about the risks of falls — the most common cause of injury-related deaths.

        Last year, 393 Hamilton County residents died from injuries suffered in car wrecks, crimes, suicides and accidents at home. That's up from 338 deaths reported the year before in the Hamilton County Injury Surveillance Report.

        There was no single category of injury that accounted for the increase. Rising numbers of fatal injuries were reported in all the leading causes of injury-related death: falls, poisonings, firearms incidents and car crashes, Hamilton County Health Commissioner Tim Ingram said.

        Falls remain the most common cause of fatal injuries, a problem that primarily affects the elderly. Of 111 fatal falls reported in 2000, 79 involved people more than 75 years old.

        The county death rate from falls (12 per 100,000 residents) is three times higher than the state average and nearly 2.5 times higher than the national average. Rather than something being wrong in Hamilton County, officials speculate that deaths from falling are underreported nationwide.

        Since late 1999, more than 25 local agencies have joined the Hamilton County Falls Task Force, which is trying to make people more aware of fall risks in their homes.

        But so far, the group's efforts have made no dent in fatalities.

        “It is a difficult problem,” said Robert Logan, chief executive of the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio. “A lot of it is about education, not just for elderly people but for their adult children and grandchildren.”

        The injury report also noted an increase in suicides, from 78 in 1999 to 87 in 2000. The number of suicides was nearly double the number of homicides in Hamilton County (45).

        The largest number of suicides (44) occurred among people aged 35 to 54.

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