How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 1,645 severe cases involving non-roadway vehicle accidents over the last decade. Fractures account for 52% of these reports, highlighting the extreme force involved when heavy machinery or off-road vehicles malfunction or overturn.
These events frequently cause damage to the brain, often leading to long-term disability. The severity of these injuries often stems from the lack of protective barriers or the sudden, violent nature of vehicle rollovers and equipment drops.
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These injuries typically occur when powered industrial vehicles, such as forklifts or UTVs, encounter unexpected terrain or mechanical failure. Industrial vehicles and material hauling equipment account for 44% of these incidents. Common scenarios include your vehicle jumping during offloading, overturning on uneven ground, or striking hidden obstacles like washouts that cause you to be ejected or crushed.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fractures | 835 |
| 2 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 231 |
| 3 | Intracranial Injuries | 127 |
| 4 | Amputations, avulsions, enucleations | 104 |
| 5 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 83 |
| 6 | Cuts, lacerations, punctures without injury to internal structures | 73 |
| 7 | Injuries to internal organs and major blood vessels | 49 |
| 8 | Bruises, contusions | 18 |
Where injuries happen most
Construction leads all sectors with 18% of these severe incidents, largely due to the frequent use of heavy earth-moving machinery on unstable ground. Transportation and warehousing follow closely at 16%, where the constant operation of forklifts in tight, high-traffic environments creates a high risk for rollovers and collisions with facility infrastructure.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports include you being ejected during rollovers, limbs getting pinned between equipment and barriers, and sudden drops during the transport of heavy machinery. These incidents often involve equipment that is not suited for the terrain or failures in standard operating procedures. 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 | NM | Public Administration | "On 7/31/2025, an employee was training to ride an ATV when it went into a draw and she went over the front of the ATV, landing on the ground. The employee sustained a fractured arm." | |
| 2025 | TX | Utilities | "An employee was utilizing a utility task vehicle (UTV) to patrol a 138 kV transmission line in a right-of-way. The UTV drove into a washout hole that was approximately 6 feet deep and obstructed by vegetation. The employee sustained a dislocated shoulder, a fractured left humerus, back pain, and a strained ankle. He was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | FL | Wholesale Trade | "An employee had delivered product to a customer and was driving a forklift to the rear of the delivery truck. The forklift jumped/bounced, sending the employee up into the air and back down onto the seat. The employee sustained a back fracture." | |
| 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 | FL | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was offloading a new boom lift from a transporter truck. As the boom lift s rear wheels reached the tail lift of the truck, the tail lift broke, causing the boom lift to fall. As a result of the sudden drop, the employee was lifted into the air, striking several objects. The employee was hospitalized due to a fractured back and a left leg injury that required stitches." | |
| 2025 | CO | Construction | "At 5:46 PM, on July 26, 2025, an Evergreen Caissons bulldozer operator was towing a water truck on a sandy job site. The tow hook failed and the shackle and D-ring on the nylon tow rope snapped back and went through the back window of the dozer, and struck the operator. The employee sustained a gash under their right armpit. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | WI | Manufacturing | "An employee was driving a stand-up forklift into a truck trailer at a loading dock. The dock plate and the truck separated, and the forklift fell to the ground. The employee's left foot was caught and broken between the dock plate and the forklift; the employee was hospitalized, requiring surgery." | |
| 2025 | FL | Construction | "An employee was operating a roller parallel to a sloped lake bank. The roller overturned and the operator jumped off the roller as it overturned. The roller then struck/crushed the employee. The employee sustained internal injuries and chest trauma. The employee was hospitalized. " | |
| 2025 | FL | Real Estate | "An employee was unloading a boom from a rollback truck when the boom drove off the truck and landed on the ground. The employee was hospitalized with fractured ankles." | |
| 2025 | OR | Other Services | "An employee was driving an all-terrain vehicle when it rolled over. The employee was ejected and hit the ground, suffering a fracture to their C6 vertebra." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.