This study uses data to determine the percentage of injury-related deaths & the variation of this percentage with age of death. In all age groups, assualt, suicide & motor vehicle accidents were identified as the cause of death in more than 90 percent of the cases. Other causes, especially when occuring among the elderly were less likely to be indentified. The role of injury in the deaths of the elderly is substantially greater than is evident from the single cause of death data.