Tombstones Or Grave Markers
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Home Medical & Assistance Devices · CPSC Code 1732
No trend data
The verdict
Tombstones Or Grave Markers carry a danger score of 40/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 704 ER-treated injuries a year that are stable over the most recent five-year window.
- 40/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 704
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 11.3%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1732 - last data year 2010.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 40/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for tombstones or grave markers - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume704 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)11.3%
- Fatality rate0.92%
- 5-year trendN/A
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Tombstones Or Grave Markers (CPSC product code 1732, in the Home Medical & Assistance Devices category) generate an estimated 704 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 4,224 ER-treated injuries across the 6-year span from 2005 to 2010. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 40/100 for this category (moderate risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are stable over the most recent five-year window, with the busiest year on record being 2007 (1,018 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2006 (519 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for tombstones or grave markers is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 456 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by contusions, abr. to the hand (341 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 955 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 11.3% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.92%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 0 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how tombstones or grave markers fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2010-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2010)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 169 | 18 | |
| 5-14 | 718 | 237 | |
| 15-24 | 423 | 30 | |
| 25-34 | 72 | 70 | |
| 35-44 | 86 | 252 | |
| 45-54 | 201 | 277 | |
| 55-64 | 228 | 304 | |
| 65-74 | 138 | 231 | |
| 75+ | 414 | 358 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Hand | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Lower Leg | Fracture | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Ankle | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Lower Leg | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| All Parts Body | Other | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Knee | Laceration | |
| Knee | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
LOW BACK STRAIN-24YOM C/O INJ TO LOWER BACK PAIN AFTER LIFTING A TOMBSTONE YESTERDAY.
67 YOF, FELL AT CEMETARY, HIT HAND ON TOMBSTONE , FRACTURE HAND
86 YOF INJURED UPPER ARM USING TOMBSTONE TO GET UP FROM GROUND,TOMBSTONE FELL OVER ON HER. DX-HUMERAL FRACTURE
85YOM TRIPPED OVER GRAVE MARKER AND STRUCK FACE ON GRASS AT CEMETARYCLOSED HEAD INJURY
LUMBAR STRAIN: 48YOM HELPED A FRIEND LIFT 600# GRAVESTONE YESTERDAYMORNING, FELT SOMETHING PULL IN LOW BACK, PAIN LOW BACK, LOCATION NS
6YOM A GRAVESTONE BROKE AND FELL ON CHILD'S FOOT - CONTUSION LEFT FOOT
60YROLDMALE WAS VISITING GRAVEYARD WHEN TOMBSTONE FELL OVER ON PT FOOT/ANKLE DX CONTUSION ANKLE/FOOT*
51YOF AT A CEMETERY TRIPPED OVER GRAVE MARKER HIT HEAD/DX 4CM SCALP LAC
55YOF AT THE GRAVEYARD PUTTING FLAGS AND FEATHERS ON TOMBSTONESACCIDENTLY STEPPED INTO A DITCH INJURED KNEE;KNEE CONTUSION,LAC 2CM &3C
80YOM FELL IN A GRAVEYARD AND SCRAPED ARM ON A GRAVESTONE. DX. FOREARMSKIN AVULSION.*
5YOM, PLAYING HIDE&SEEK IN GRAVEYARD&A TOMBSTONE FELL ONTO LEG>>FEMUR FX
50 YOF FELL AND HIT HEAD ON CEMENT TOMBSTONE AT CEMETARYLACERATION HEAD
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to tombstones or grave markers on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are tombstones or grave markers?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, tombstones or grave markers have a danger score of 40/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 704 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from tombstones or grave markers?
The most common injury is internal injury to the head, accounting for approximately 456 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from tombstones or grave markers increasing or decreasing?
No trend data.
Who is most at risk for tombstones or grave markers injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 955 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by tombstones or grave markers?
Of all ER visits involving tombstones or grave markers, approximately 11.3% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (88.7%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with tombstones or grave markers?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Home Medical & Assistance Devices
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 40/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 5-14 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
