How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 207 severe cases involving you being struck by vehicles over the last decade. Fractures are the most common outcome, accounting for 61% of these incidents, which often require extensive medical intervention and long-term rehabilitation.
When you are hit by heavy equipment or trucks, the force often leads to life-altering injuries that extend far beyond simple contusions.
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These incidents typically occur when you are performing duties on or near roadways, such as site visits, road maintenance, or waste collection. Passenger vehicles and heavy trucks are the primary sources of these collisions, often striking you while you are exposed to traffic outside of a protected vehicle. Poor visibility, lack of proper traffic control, and unexpected vehicle movement are common factors that lead to these severe injuries.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fractures | 114 |
| 2 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 25 |
| 3 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 14 |
| 4 | Amputations, avulsions, enucleations | 11 |
| 5 | Intracranial Injuries | 9 |
| 6 | Bruises, contusions | 5 |
| 7 | Surface and flesh wounds and other injuries | 2 |
| 8 | Multiple traumatic injuries and disorders— unspecified | 2 |
Where injuries happen most
Administrative services account for 40% of these severe incidents, largely due to you performing field tasks or site visits in high-traffic areas. Construction work also carries significant risks, as you often operate in close proximity to heavy machinery and active traffic zones where vehicle operators may fail to see you.
Real cases like yours
Many reported incidents involve you performing routine tasks like site inspections, trash collection, or road repairs when you are struck by passing or maneuvering vehicles. These patterns highlight a recurring failure to maintain safe separation between you and traffic. If your injury occurred while performing job duties near moving vehicles, an attorney can help you review the specific circumstances of your case.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | MD | Professional Services | "An employee was performing a routine site visit when he was struck by a car while on the shoulder of a road. The employee was hospitalized with two fractures to his leg." | |
| 2025 | PA | Construction | "An employee was repairing a tri-axle dump truck on the side of the road when the clutch was released, causing the truck to lurch forward over the wheel chocks. The employee was crushed underneath the first set of rear wheels and sustained a fractured lower left leg and a knee injury." | |
| 2024 | TX | Administrative Services | "An employee was servicing a container at the rear of the truck and went to return the trash can across the street when they were struck by a vehicle. The employee sustained a fractured neck." | |
| 2024 | FL | Administrative Services | "An employee was performing road assistance activities and was in the process of towing a vehicle when they were struck by another vehicle. The employee sustained injuries to their back, right clavicle, arm, pelvis, hip, and leg, resulting in hospitalization." | |
| 2024 | TX | Administrative Services | "An employee was cutting grass on the side of the road when he was struck by a pickup truck, resulting in a fractured fibula and a laceration on his head." | |
| 2024 | NJ | Administrative Services | "A temporary employee was picking up residential trash. The employee walked to the side of the truck near the curb to retrieve trash and was struck by the garbage truck. The employee suffered fractures to the left foot/ankle and was hospitalized." | |
| 2024 | PA | Administrative Services | "An employee was collecting waste in a residential area on his route and was struck by a motor vehicle while walking toward the driver's side door from the rear of the truck. The employee was hospitalized for a left fibula fracture, a left lateral malleolus fracture, and a hematoma above his right eye." | |
| 2024 | MA | Construction | "Two employees were walking on either side of a street, making sure that lengths of 6-inch-wide sewer pipe did not slide off the forks of a skid steer that was carrying them down the road. The skid steer's rubber tracks ran over one of the two employees' feet. He suffered foot and ankle fractures." | |
| 2024 | CO | Administrative Services | "On July 5th, 2024, employees were collecting garbage in a residential neighborhood. The injured employee bent down to pick a piece of trash off the ground when the truck ran over his foot and he fell down. The truck continued moving backward and rolled over his pelvis. The employee was hospitalized with fractures to his pelvis, lower back, and ankle." | |
| 2024 | IL | Administrative Services | "The injured employee was collecting waste and depositing it into the front bin of the garbage truck while on the collection route. The truck ran over and crushed the employee's right ankle. The employee sustained an open lateral dislocation of the right subtalar joint and a Lisfranc injury and was hospitalized." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.