How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 690 severe incidents involving nonroadway vehicle collisions over the last decade. Fractures are the most common outcome, accounting for 53 percent of all reported cases.
These events frequently result in life-altering injuries to your feet and legs. The high force involved in these collisions often leads to complex surgeries and long-term recovery periods for you.
Common injuries
Most of these incidents involve powered industrial vehicles such as forklifts, pallet jacks, and utility task vehicles. Collisions often occur in high-traffic areas like warehouses or loading docks when you have limited visibility or when vehicles operate in reverse without adequate spotters. These accidents frequently happen at intersections or in tight storage aisles where equipment paths cross unexpectedly.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fractures | 356 |
| 2 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 121 |
| 3 | Cuts, lacerations, punctures without injury to internal structures | 59 |
| 4 | Amputations, avulsions, enucleations | 55 |
| 5 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 21 |
| 6 | Injuries to internal organs and major blood vessels | 15 |
| 7 | Bruises, contusions | 10 |
| 8 | Intracranial Injuries | 7 |
Where injuries happen most
Transportation and warehousing accounts for 32 percent of these incidents, largely due to the constant movement of heavy loads in confined spaces. Wholesale trade and manufacturing also see high rates of collision, as the density of equipment and the pressure to maintain rapid production schedules often lead to lapses in safety protocols and traffic management.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents include forklifts striking you in blind spots, collisions between two pieces of material handling equipment, and vehicles tipping over after contact with other machinery. These reports demonstrate that even low-speed impacts can cause severe orthopedic damage. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | NJ | Retail Trade | "An employee was driving a forklift backward out of a freezer. Another forklift was entering the freezer and struck the employee's left ankle, resulting in a fracture. The employee had surgery on the ankle." | |
| 2025 | OH | Wholesale Trade | "A forklift and a pallet jack collided in an intersection. The pallet jack operator was hospitalized with a foot fracture that required surgery." | |
| 2025 | TX | Construction | "On July 3, 2025, at approximately 9:45 PM, an employee was operating a utility task vehicle (UTV) on a project road when the UTV struck the rear of a reversing bulldozer. The employee struck their head and face on the UTV dashboard and collapsed onto a UTV passenger. The employee was hospitalized with a forehead laceration, a nasal fracture, and central cord syndrome. The other employee on the UTV sustained a bruised left forearm and was not hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | GA | Construction | "On June 26, 2025, an employee was standing on a scissor lift at a height of about 6 feet. He was conducting quality checks, light cleaning, and touching up paint on a piping assembly framework that was secured to a drop-deck trailer attached to a tractor. When the tractor trailer drove forward to reposition, it contacted the scissor lift at the deck frame and pulled it forward, causing it to tip over. The employee fell with the lift to the floor. He sustained fractures to his right forearm and wrist, and a burst fracture of his L1 vertebra. He was hospitalized and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | CT | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was moving loads with a forklift when their forklift struck another forklift. One of the forklifts was traveling in reverse. The employee sustained a fractured ankle." | |
| 2025 | TX | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was driving a baggage-tugging vehicle when it collided with another baggage-tugging vehicle, nearly head-on. The two vehicles came to rest parallel to each other, with the employee's leg caught between them. The employee suffered a broken femur that required hospitalization." | |
| 2025 | GA | Manufacturing | "On June 10, 2025, an employee was driving a forklift west when they were struck by another forklift driving south. The suffered a puncture wound on the right calf." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was operating a stand-up reach truck. He was taking a small pallet of product through a dock area when another stand-up reach truck struck him. The steel forks punctured his lower right calf, also breaking a bone in the same area. He was hospitalized, requiring surgery." | |
| 2025 | PA | Manufacturing | "An employee was operating a forklift when it collided with another forklift at an intersection. The employee suffered a broken lower right leg from a rack of battery plates on the forks of the other truck." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was parking a reach truck in the charging area when his left calf was pinched against another reach truck. The employee was hospitalized with a laceration to the left calf." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.
Frequently asked questions
Seek immediate medical attention for your injuries, as even minor-seeming impacts can cause internal damage or fractures. Report the incident to your supervisor immediately to ensure it is documented in your employer's records. An attorney can help you understand how to file a Workers' Compensation claim and ensure your medical expenses are covered.
In most cases, Workers' Compensation is the primary way to recover benefits after a workplace injury, regardless of who was at fault. However, if a third party was involved or if there was gross negligence, other legal avenues might exist. An attorney can help you evaluate your situation to determine if you have a claim beyond standard Workers' Compensation.
Fractures are the most frequent injury, particularly to your feet, ankles, and legs. These injuries often require surgery and extensive physical therapy to regain mobility. An attorney can help you document the full extent of your injuries to ensure your claim reflects the true cost of your recovery.
OSHA requires employers to maintain safe operating procedures for all powered industrial trucks, including training, certification, and clear traffic management. If your employer failed to provide a safe environment or ignored safety standards, this may be relevant to your claim. An attorney can help you investigate whether your employer violated specific safety regulations.