Roadway Vehicle Collisions at Work — Injury Statistics and Claims Information
Roadway Vehicle Collisions at Work
Severe roadway incidents are trending downward
OSHA has recorded 79 severe incidents involving roadway vehicle collisions over the last decade. These events frequently result in fractures, which account for 37.7% of all reported injury natures, and intracranial injuries in 13% of cases.
The severity of these collisions often leads to trauma across multiple body parts, affecting 33.3% of injured workers. These injuries frequently require extensive medical intervention and long-term recovery due to the high-impact nature of vehicle strikes.
What's Driving the Trend?
The frequency of these severe incidents has decreased by 81.2% over the past ten years, reflecting a significant shift in workplace safety protocols. Despite this decline, trucks remain the primary source of injury, appearing in 40.5% of all recorded cases.
Construction sites and transportation hubs remain the highest-risk environments, accounting for 34.2% and 17.7% of incidents respectively. These industries often involve high-traffic zones where the interaction between heavy machinery and workers creates persistent safety hazards.
Injury Types from Roadway Vehicle Collisions
Top causes based on OSHA incident reports
Roadway vehicle collisions at work often occur when workers are positioned near active traffic lanes or operating on the road surface. Common scenarios involve being struck by trucks or passenger vehicles while setting up traffic control, performing maintenance on signage, or working from elevated buckets. These incidents are frequently caused by vehicles entering restricted work zones or failing to account for workers on the shoulder.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fractures | 26 |
| 2 | Intracranial Injuries | 9 |
| 3 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 8 |
| 4 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 8 |
| 5 | Amputations, avulsions, enucleations | 3 |
| 6 | Injuries to the brain, spinal cord and other injuries | 3 |
| 7 | Injuries to internal organs and major blood vessels | 3 |
| 8 | Multiple traumatic injuries and disorders— unspecified | 2 |
Why This Matters for Your Case
Employers are required to maintain safe work zones under 29 CFR 1926.601, which mandates specific safety measures for motor vehicles and mechanized equipment. Failure to provide adequate traffic control, proper signage, or protective barriers often constitutes a violation of these safety standards. When an employer neglects these requirements, they may be held liable for the resulting injuries.
Industries with Most Roadway Vehicle Collisions
Where these injuries occur most frequently
Construction leads all sectors with 34.2% of reported roadway vehicle incidents, followed by transportation and warehousing at 17.7%. These industries require workers to operate in close proximity to moving traffic, often with limited physical separation between the worker and the vehicle path.
High-Risk Industries and Your Rights
In high-risk industries, employers must adhere to 29 CFR 1926.201, which requires the use of flaggers and appropriate signaling devices to protect workers from traffic. Additionally, 29 CFR 1926.602 dictates the safe operation of earthmoving and heavy equipment to prevent collisions with personnel. Compliance with these regulations is essential to mitigating the risk of severe injury in active work zones.
Real Incident Reports
From actual OSHA investigation files
Reported incidents reveal a recurring pattern of workers being struck while stationed in or near vehicles, such as bucket trucks or dump trucks, within active traffic zones. These narratives consistently highlight the danger of vehicles entering closed lanes, the failure of protective barriers to stop incoming traffic, and the catastrophic impact of collisions on workers performing routine maintenance or traffic control duties.
"An employee was in their personal vehicle awaiting instructions from the construction contractor on posting traffic cones. The driver of a motor vehicle swerved to avoid a steel plate in the roadway and struck the employee's car. The employee was hospitalized with four fractured ribs."
"An employee was working on a signal device while inside the bucket of a bucket truck. A tree service truck with a folded boom arm attached to the top collided with the bottom of the bucket the employee was occupying. This caused the employee to fall from the bucket and strike the pavement below. The employee was hospitalized with multiple injuries."
"An employee was filling gaps in new asphalt on a bridge when a vehicle entered the closed lane and struck the rear passenger side of the dump truck that the employee was standing on. This caused the employee to be splashed with hot AC-20 asphalt, resulting in burns to his hands, face, and right eye. He also fell approximately 4 feet from the back of the truck to the ground."
"An employee was inside a truck bucket, positioning it to perform maintenance on an overhead sign. A semi-truck in an active lane near the work zone struck the bucket the employee was in, causing the bucket to break and the employee to be ejected. His fall protection harness caught him before he hit the ground. He sustained a fractured left tibia."
"An employee was putting out road barrels for traffic control and standing on the lift gate of a traffic truck with a driver in the driver's seat. The truck was struck from behind by a tractor trailer and the employee was thrown to the ground. The driver of the truck sustained injuries and was not hospitalized. The employee was hospitalized with a laceration to the head and a concussion, as well as a fractured femur that required surgery."
"An employee was picking up cones from the rear basket of a cone truck when an impact attenuator truck collided with the cone truck and caused the basket to bend inward. The employee was crushed and sustained a fractured pelvis."
"An employee was operating a street sweeper following the paving crew in an active work zone. The street sweeper was struck from behind by an empty logging truck and the employee was thrown from the sweeper into the wood line. The employee was hospitalized for a skull fracture, two small brain bleeds, a laceration requiring 18 staples, an open fracture of his clavicle, a dislocated shoulder, and multiple scrapes and bruises. "
"An employee was operating a skid steer in a work zone to unload gravel from a dump truck. The dump truck's brakes failed and the truck struck the skid steer. The skid steer operator sustained broken ribs, a broken collar bone, and a concussion. "
"An employee was parked along the side of a road working on a fiber outage. An automobile driven by an intoxicated person crossed over into the designated work zone and struck the employee's truck. The employee sustained injuries to his chest, lungs, shoulder, and head."
"An employee was sitting on the bed of the work truck while picking up safety cones in a work zone. An SUV drove into the work zone and struck the work truck. The SUV then hit the employee's legs, knocking her to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a leg injury."
Common Questions About Roadway Vehicle Collisions Claims
The ClaimsBoost Research Team aggregates official government data to help workers understand workplace injury trends and their coverage options.
ClaimsBoost is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. ClaimsBoost is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any government agency. Performance scores, rankings, and statistics displayed on this site are calculated by ClaimsBoost using publicly available government data from OSHA severe injury reports. Individual results may vary. Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice or a guarantee of benefits. If you need legal help, we can connect you with licensed attorneys in your area.Some written content on this page was created with the assistance of AI to help interpret and explain the data. AI can make mistakes — all content has been reviewed for accuracy, but we encourage you to verify any information that is important to your situation.