How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 3,294 severe cases involving the lower leg over the last decade. The vast majority of these incidents result in fractures, which often require extensive surgery and long periods of immobilization.
Damage to your lower leg directly impacts your mobility and ability to perform essential job tasks. Even after the initial healing process, you may face long-term complications that limit your earning capacity and daily independence.
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Free Benefits ReviewHow these injuries happen
Most lower leg injuries stem from preventable hazards in your workplace. Falls to lower levels account for 20% of all reported incidents, often occurring when you lose your footing on uneven surfaces or unstable ladders. When heavy objects fall or industrial vehicles collide with you, the force is frequently concentrated on your lower leg, leading to severe structural damage.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other fall to lower level | 644 |
| 2 | Fall on same level | 493 |
| 3 | Struck by falling object | 491 |
| 4 | Pedestrian struck by vehicle in nonroadway area | 230 |
| 5 | Nonroadway collision with object other than vehicle | 200 |
| 6 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 120 |
| 7 | Nonroadway noncollision incident | 91 |
| 8 | Struck by rolling powered vehicle or machinery | 87 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 26% of all severe lower leg injuries, largely due to the high density of heavy machinery and constant material movement. Construction sites follow closely, where you are frequently exposed to falling objects and hazardous terrain that puts your lower limbs in the direct line of fire.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents involve you being struck by shifting materials or losing your balance while navigating elevated surfaces. Many reports detail situations where safety protocols regarding heavy equipment or ladder stability were ignored, leading to life-altering fractures. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident to determine if employer negligence contributed to your injury.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was retrieving a hose from a trailer. The employee tripped over a crossover sub and fell off the trailer. The crossover sub then rolled off the trailer and struck the employee's leg between the knee and ankle. The employee sustained a fracture." | |
| 2025 | PA | Manufacturing | "An employee was on a ladder, pruning a tree in the outside picnic area. The employee lost their balance and fell. The employee was hospitalized with a fracture to their lower left leg." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "An employee was on a 10-foot ladder, working to insulate 24-inch piping that was 12 feet above the ground. The pipe jack/steel tube used to raise the pipe slipped, causing the steel tube to strike the employee's face. The impact caused the employee to fall off the ladder and sustain fractures to their left tibia and fibula." | |
| 2025 | KS | Construction | "The injured employee and a coworker were carrying a joint of 6" PVC pipe. They stepped over the side of a pile of dirt and concrete (approximately 3'x3') and the injured employee lost his footing. The employee's right leg was fractured in two places below the knee." | |
| 2025 | MO | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was operating a stand-up forklift. While turning to yield to another forklift, the forklift overturned and the employee's lower left leg was caught between a barrier and the forklift. The employee's left leg was amputated from the calf down and multiple bones were broken. The employee was hospitalized. " | |
| 2025 | PA | Other Services | "An employee was working on a tractor's brakes when the vehicle lunged forward and the tire rolled over his lower leg. He was hospitalized with bruising." | |
| 2025 | OH | Construction | "An employee was climbing off the back of a dump truck when he slipped and fell. His right leg struck a piece of scrap metal resulting in a severe laceration to the lower leg. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | MO | Manufacturing | "An employee was reaching for a label and stepped onto a metal piece along rollers and slipped. His leg went down into a gap between the machines and contacted the metal in the gap between the rollers. The employee was hospitalized with the avulsion of skin on his left shin between the ankle and knee, as well as injuries to muscle and ligament." | |
| 2025 | WI | Construction | "An employee was sawing cable on the ground using a handheld concrete saw. The saw blade caught on the cable and jumped, striking and lacerating the employee's left calf." | |
| 2025 | ID | Public Administration | "A Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employee was assisting a fire crew with clearing a forest trail. The employee was struck in the left leg by a fire-rated chainsaw. The chainsaw struck the employee underneath their chaps and above their boot. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.