How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 207 severe cases involving pedestrians struck by vehicles over the past decade. Fractures are the most common injury, accounting for 61% of these incidents, often resulting in long-term disability or extensive surgical intervention.
These events are particularly dangerous because they involve high-mass objects like trucks and passenger vehicles. Injuries frequently impact specific body parts, leading to complex recovery paths that require significant medical and financial support.
Common injuries
Most of these injuries occur when you are exposed to traffic while performing routine tasks like site visits, road maintenance, or material handling. Passenger vehicles and trucks are the primary sources of these collisions, often striking you while you are on foot near active roadways or loading zones where visibility is compromised.
| 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 accounts for 40% of these severe incidents, largely due to you performing field work or site visits in high-traffic areas. Construction and transportation industries also face elevated risks, as you are frequently required to operate or navigate near heavy machinery and active vehicle lanes.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents include you being struck while on the shoulder of a road, assisting with vehicle towing, or moving between parked trucks. These reports frequently detail failures in traffic control or visibility that lead to life-altering fractures and internal injuries. 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 | 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.
Frequently asked questions
Fractures are the most frequent injury, occurring in 61% of reported cases. These often involve the legs, pelvis, and chest, requiring intensive medical care and prolonged rehabilitation. An attorney can help you document the full extent of these injuries to ensure your claim reflects your actual medical needs.
Workers' Compensation is generally available for injuries you sustain during the course of your employment, even if the incident occurred on a public roadway. This coverage is designed to pay for your medical bills and lost wages regardless of who was at fault for the accident. An attorney can help you navigate the claims process to ensure you receive the full benefits you are entitled to.
While Workers' Compensation is typically the primary remedy for your workplace injuries, third-party claims against drivers or other entities may be possible depending on the circumstances of the collision. If your employer failed to implement necessary safety protocols or traffic control measures, an attorney can evaluate whether additional legal avenues exist to hold responsible parties accountable.
Employers are required to provide you with a safe environment, which includes implementing traffic control plans, high-visibility gear, and clear separation between pedestrians and moving vehicles. When these standards are ignored, the risk of severe injury increases significantly. An attorney can help determine if a violation of safety regulations contributed to your accident.