Question

The leading cause of death along the Oregon Trail was disease. What was another MAIN threat to the pioneers’ chances of survival?

A) injuries from accidents
B) attacks by bandits
C) Native American attacks
D) head stroke

Answer 1

Answer: A. Injuries from accidents.

Explanation: Although the settlers faced countless dangers during their arduous journey, one that claimed many lives were injuries from accidents such as wagon mishaps, cuts, drownings, shootings, lightning strikes, hunting casualties and even snakebites.

Answer 2

A) injuries from accidents

Step-by-step explanation:

While it is estimated that disease took around 9 of 10 people who met their death on the Oregon Trail, major hazards were also numerous accidents and injuries.

Some of the main threats were:

• crossing the rivers - people and oxen would easily tip over and drown while crossing the river, and many lives and losses were suffered this way. Animals could also get frightened from the rivers and panic, causing the wagons to overturn
• being run over by wagon wheels - this was one of the most common injuries, as quite a few children got under the wheels of the heavy wagons
• accidental firearms discharge - surprisingly, a large number of casualties were due to unprotected firearms and misfortunate firings
• handling the cattle - number of injuries were caused by the cattle and animals that were going with them
• gunpowder explosion
• snakebite
• lightning and other weather conditions