How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 28 severe cases involving rail vehicles over the past decade. The most frequent injury types are amputations and avulsions, which account for 58% of all reported incidents.
These events are uniquely dangerous because of the massive force involved in rail operations. Lower legs are the most commonly affected body parts, often leading to life-altering injuries that require extensive medical intervention and long-term rehabilitation.
Common injuries
Injuries typically occur during railcar switching, coupling, or staging operations. Heavy rail vehicles are the primary source of these incidents, accounting for 79% of cases and often striking you when you are positioned between cars or working on tracks. Common scenarios involve you getting caught in couplers, being run over during reversing maneuvers, or tripping on railroad ties while railcars are in motion.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amputations, avulsions, enucleations | 15 |
| 2 | Fractures | 7 |
| 3 | Multiple severe wounds and internal injuries | 1 |
| 4 | Sprains, strains, tears | 1 |
| 5 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 1 |
| 6 | Injuries to internal organs and major blood vessels | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 43% of these severe incidents, followed by the transportation and warehousing sector at 36%. These industries require constant movement of heavy railcars within confined plant environments or rail yards, creating high-risk zones where you and heavy equipment frequently intersect.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents include you being caught between railcar knuckles during coupling, falling under moving cars while attempting to board, or having limbs crushed when equipment shifts unexpectedly. 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 safety protocols were ignored.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | MS | Construction | "An employee was working the switchboard for a train to move through the plant. He gave the all clear signal, and the train began reversing on the tracks. The employee went to get onto the train as it was moving toward him when he missed the railing and fell underneath the train. The last railcar ran over both of his legs, amputating the legs above the knees." | |
| 2025 | IL | Manufacturing | "On April 27, 2025, employees were performing a railcar switch. When the train began to shift back, the injured employee's right arm got crushed between the knuckles of two railcars. The employee was hospitalized with fractures to their forearm." | |
| 2025 | OK | Other Services | "An employee was working to couple two railcars together, holding the lever with one hand and the coupler with the other hand. The locomotive then backed up and his left arm got caught in the coupler, resulting in a broken arm and a broken little finger." | |
| 2025 | IL | Manufacturing | "An employee was uncoupling railcars while the cars were in motion and a car ran over her left lower leg, resulting in crush injuries and amputation below the knee. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2024 | IL | Transportation & Warehousing | "On October 5, 2024, a crew was staging the last string of railcars to be loaded when the injured employee stepped forward and tripped on a railroad tie, causing his right foot to be on the rail. A staged railcar rolled forward and caught his foot between the wheel and the rail. The employee was hospitalized for amputations to toes." | |
| 2024 | LA | Manufacturing | "An employee in the rail yard was struck by the corner of a slow-moving railcar and lost their balance. The employee grabbed onto the side of the railcar to regain their balance and sustained an avulsion injury to the left thigh and a broken right ankle." | |
| 2023 | AR | Manufacturing | "On December 4, 2023, an employee was helping to move a hopper car. He was climbing the stairs to go to the other side of the hopper car when he slipped. His right foot went under the hopper car's wheel and a toe was amputated." | |
| 2022 | NJ | Manufacturing | "An employee was working between railcars on an active railroad track to connect the airbrake. Another employee moved the railcars, striking and running over the employee resulting in amputation of both legs." | |
| 2022 | OH | Manufacturing | "On March 25, 2022, an employee had just detached a string of empty rail cars away from some loaded cars. The string of detached cars was being taken ahead, and the employee began pulling the knuckle of a rail car into the open position. The string of detached cars then momentarily came back, and the employee was pinched between two cars. The employee suffered a broken right hip and was hospitalized." | |
| 2022 | TX | Transportation & Warehousing | "At about 8:40 p.m., two employees (a groundsman and a switchman) were working in a rail yard, setting rail cars to be released from the site. The groundsman was watching the switchman connect an end-of-train device on the string of rail cars. While he was on the adjacent track, a locomotive on that track moved forward and struck him, knocking him over, injuring his right foot, and amputating his left leg above the knee." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.
Frequently asked questions
You are generally entitled to Workers' Compensation benefits to cover medical expenses and lost wages regardless of who was at fault. Because these incidents often involve complex safety violations, an attorney can help you determine if additional legal claims against third parties are possible.
The extreme weight and force of rail equipment make crush injuries and amputations highly probable when you are struck or pinned. These injuries are severe by nature and typically require immediate hospitalization and long-term care, which an attorney can help you document for your claim.
In most cases, Workers' Compensation is the exclusive remedy against your employer, but exceptions exist if the injury resulted from gross negligence or intentional misconduct. An attorney can help you evaluate the specific circumstances of your accident to see if your situation qualifies for a personal injury lawsuit.
Your employer must maintain clear pathways, enforce strict lockout-tagout procedures during maintenance, and ensure you are properly trained for railcar switching. If your employer failed to provide a safe environment or ignored established safety rules, an attorney can help you hold them accountable.