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New Mexico deaths spike during holidays

New Year's Eve most deadly day

By Christopher Sanchez
Tuesday, January 1, 2008

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When Tom Antram got into the mortuary business 15 years ago, a co-worker told him to keep his schedule clear for the holidays.

He shouldn't make any big plans around Christmas, he was told, because it's the busiest time of the year for a mortuary. Antram thought he was joking.

But Antram, now general manager at French Mortuary, said he soon learned business picks up around the holidays.

"I think it's an interesting phenomenon that these things happen around the holidays," he said. "But it's reality."

More New Mexicans die on New Year's Eve than any other day of the year, with an average of 53 deaths, according to figures provided by New Mexico Vital Records and Health Statistics. Christmas Day and the day after rank high, too. They are Nos. 8 and 9, respectively, while New Year's Day is No. 5 on the list.

It's not clear why mortality rates rise around the holidays.

A popular notion is that suicide is more prevalent in the winter. In fact, however, suicides occur more frequently in the spring, said Kimberly Peters, research director at the state's Vital Records and Heath Statistics.

Others point to automobile accidents, saying there are more during the holidays because of drinking and driving. About seven people die in automobile crashes every year in New Mexico on Jan. 1, the date which has the highest mortality rate from wrecks in the state.

Antram said he sees automobile-related deaths rise during the holidays. But he said there are other reasons why deaths increase during the season.

He said some people, especially the elderly and the sick, appear to hold on until the holidays roll around so they can surround themselves with friends and family.

"You're going to see older people try to hang on for one last holiday. Their family comes in, and they get to have that last time together," he said.

Another possible explanation, Antram said, is that some people might be celebrating their first holiday without their loved ones, which puts a lot of wear and tear on their body. That can be a contributing factor, because their weary condition makes them more susceptible to getting sick, he said.

"It can be a horrible time to go through," he said. "And if you're feeling alone during that time, you can only imagine the angst and the pressure."

A University of California, San Diego study found that more people die of natural causes on Christmas, the day after and on New Year's Day than any other days of the year.

The study, conducted in 2004, concluded that more people die on those days because they tend to delay medical treatment.

Antram said the holiday death toll is reflected in his business' statistics. French Mortuary sees nearly a third of its annual business in the quarter that runs from November through January, he said.

But not everybody agrees with the holiday boom theory. Jim Edwards, director of Riverside Cremations and Burials, said business stays the same around the holidays. Death is unpredictable, he said.

"That's kind of like, `Is there more crime during a full moon or not,' " he said. "I don't believe that."