How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 31 severe incidents involving internal organs over the last decade. 90 percent of these cases involve direct trauma to internal organs and major blood vessels. These injuries frequently require immediate surgical intervention and extended hospitalization.
Damage to internal organs is life-altering because these structures are essential for basic physiological function. A ruptured spleen or lacerated liver can permanently limit your physical capacity, making it difficult to return to the demanding labor required in your role.
Internal organ injury? Check what benefits you may be owed.
Free Benefits ReviewHow these injuries happen
Most internal organ injuries occur when you are struck by falling objects or caught in equipment. These incidents often involve heavy machinery or industrial vehicles that exert enough force to cause deep tissue damage. When you are pinned or struck, the impact can bypass external skin and cause critical damage to the organs underneath.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Struck by falling object | 5 |
| 2 | Other fall to lower level | 3 |
| 3 | Fall on same level | 3 |
| 4 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 2 |
| 5 | Nonroadway collision with object other than vehicle | 2 |
| 6 | Fall to lower level from collapsing structure or equipment | 2 |
| 7 | Struck by running powered equipment— n.e.c. | 1 |
| 8 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing and construction each account for 19 percent of these severe cases. In these environments, your proximity to heavy equipment and the risk of falling materials create a constant threat of blunt force trauma.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you being pinned by heavy machinery, struck by shifting loads, or suffering penetrating wounds from equipment failure. These incidents often happen during routine tasks like loading trucks, operating lifts, or using pneumatic tools. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you determine if safety protocols were ignored.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | MT | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee was coaching a bike lesson. Their handlebar clipped a tree, rotated, and struck their left side. This caused the employee to fall, and they were hospitalized with a ruptured spleen." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was positioning a form brace before using a nail gun to secure it in place. The employee set his nail gun down on a rebar form, and when he picked it up, it discharged a nail that penetrated his abdomen. The employee required surgery to repair his stomach." | |
| 2025 | PA | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was loading snow guns and jacks onto a dump-style truck. The truck was parked on an incline and the door closed on the employee. The employee was hospitalized for contusions and a lacerated liver." | |
| 2025 | PA | Administrative Services | "An employee was removing a storm damaged tree from a utility wire. After making his final cut he began to retreat. The log rolled, striking the employee and rolling over his legs. The employee sustained a laceration to his liver and bruising to his lower legs." | |
| 2025 | MS | Manufacturing | "An employee was ascending in an aerial lift. He was pinned between the lift's control panel and the hull of a ship, suffering injuries to the liver and spleen." | |
| 2025 | PA | Education | "An employee was driving a vehicle through a tunnel on a campus road to the dumpsters. The bed was elevated and contacted the tunnel structure. The employee sustained a lacerated pancreas and a dislocated shoulder. " | |
| 2025 | NJ | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was traveling to the cold dock on an electric pallet jack when the pallet jack struck an automatic roll-up door that had not completely opened. The employee was hospitalized with an abrasion to the face and a lacerated liver." | |
| 2025 | OH | Manufacturing | "Two maintenance workers were troubleshooting an actuator. They removed the end covers to check for air leakage around the piston head. When they connected an air hose to the side of the actuator and applied pressure, the piston head blew out of its housing. It struck one of the employees in the chest, causing the employee to fall to the ground. The employee suffered an abdomen contusion, resulting in a laceration to the liver, and was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | MO | Manufacturing | "An employee was walking between buildings, tripped and fell. The employee was hospitalized for a ruptured spleen that required surgery. " | |
| 2025 | MO | Construction | "An employee was pouring concrete. The hose clogged and then whipped around and struck the employee in the abdomen. The employee sustained liver damage and internal bleeding." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.