How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 2,749 severe cases involving you being struck by vehicles in nonroadway areas. Fractures are the most common injury, accounting for 56% of all reported incidents. These injuries often require extensive medical intervention and long-term rehabilitation.
When a heavy vehicle strikes you, the resulting trauma often leads to permanent impairment. These events are rarely minor and frequently result in life-altering physical consequences.
Struck by a vehicle? Check what benefits you may be owed.
Free Benefits ReviewCommon injuries
Most incidents involve powered industrial vehicles, which account for 57% of all reported sources. These accidents typically occur when you are walking through active loading docks or warehouse aisles where visibility is limited. Whether it is a forklift backing up or a truck offloading materials, the failure to maintain clear pedestrian pathways and proper signaling is a primary factor in these collisions.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fractures | 1,466 |
| 2 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 482 |
| 3 | Amputations, avulsions, enucleations | 188 |
| 4 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 115 |
| 5 | Cuts, lacerations, punctures without injury to internal structures | 89 |
| 6 | Injuries to internal organs and major blood vessels | 80 |
| 7 | Intracranial Injuries | 60 |
| 8 | Bruises, contusions | 38 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 24% of these severe incidents, largely due to the constant movement of heavy materials and powered equipment in confined spaces. Transportation and warehousing follow closely, where the high volume of forklift traffic and loading dock activity creates a high-risk environment for you.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you being struck while inspecting equipment, exchanging tools, or simply walking across a dock. Often, the operator is distracted by a load or you are caught in a blind spot during a maneuver. 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 | CT | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was inspecting a flatbed truck for air leaks. A forklift was offloading a pallet from the flatbed truck when the pallet caught the edge of a bundled lumber unit. The lumber unit slid off the bed of the truck and struck the employee's hip. The employee sustained a fractured pelvis and a hip injury." | |
| 2025 | ME | Construction | "An excavator operator and the injured employee were exchanging a hand tool on a utility right of way. After the tool exchange the excavator moved forward and the tracks ran over the big toe of the injured employee's right foot. The toe was crushed, resulting in amputation of the tip." | |
| 2025 | GA | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was fulfilling orders when their foot was run over by a center-rider forklift. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured foot." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "Employees were unloading bundles of 20-foot long steel bars from the back of a container truck using a forklift with a crane boom attachment. As the forklift traveled down a ramp from the truck, a strap broke and a bundle fell on the injured employee's foot. The employee was hospitalized and their fourth toe and part of the third toe were medically amputated." | |
| 2025 | AL | Manufacturing | "An employee was walking across the dock, interacting with forklift drivers on what was being loaded. A forklift drove forward with a tall load on the forks. The employee was struck by the load (running board/rocker panel rack) on the forklift. The employee sustained several contusions and an injury to their right Achilles tendon that required surgery." | |
| 2025 | PA | Retail Trade | "An employee was working to change the tires and brakes on a vehicle. He pulled the vehicle out of the bay. The brakes failed, and the car drifted backward into another bay where it pinned the injured employee against the arm of a vehicle lift. The injured employee sustained seven fractured ribs on his left side." | |
| 2025 | GA | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was on a dock inspecting a load of freight. A lift struck the load, causing it to fall and strike the employee. The employee was hospitalized with injuries to their face, back, and leg." | |
| 2025 | AL | Manufacturing | "A team was setting a vertical turbine pump for a chill water sump. To align the bolt holes, a forklift was used to bump the pump a small amount. The injured employee was checking if the holes were aligned when the pump was bumped again. Their right index finger was caught inside a bolt hole resulting in a fingertip amputation. " | |
| 2025 | PA | Manufacturing | "An employee was loading machinery onto a trailer. The trailer had to be moved while the machinery was already on it. The employee was walking next to the tractor trailer when a piece of machinery shifted. The employee reached for the equipment and became caught between the moving trailer and the opening of the overhead garage door. The employee sustained fractures." | |
| 2025 | NY | Agriculture | "An employee was inspecting materials in a warehouse area. While she was in a main aisle, a forklift backed into her foot. She suffered a possible fracture to the foot and was hospitalized." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.