How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 1,841 severe cases involving you being struck by powered vehicles or machinery over the last decade. Fractures are the most common injury, accounting for 41 percent of these incidents, which often require extensive surgery and long-term rehabilitation.
These events are frequently catastrophic because of the immense weight and force involved. Finger injuries are the most common, occurring in 28 percent of cases, though you may suffer severe crush injuries to the legs and chest that result in permanent physical limitations.
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Most of these incidents involve industrial vehicles and trucks, which account for 33 percent and 29 percent of reported cases respectively. These accidents often occur when operators lose control of heavy earth-moving machinery or when vehicles move unexpectedly in your work zone. You are frequently pinned between equipment and stationary objects, or struck when a vehicle operator fails to see you in their path.
| Injury Type | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fractures | 736 |
| 2 | Amputations, avulsions, enucleations | 495 |
| 3 | Traumatic injuries or exposures— unspecified | 255 |
| 4 | Cuts, lacerations, punctures without injury to internal structures | 72 |
| 5 | Injuries to internal organs and major blood vessels | 63 |
| 6 | Severe wounds or internal injuries and other injuries | 55 |
| 7 | Bruises, contusions | 41 |
| 8 | Intracranial Injuries | 31 |
Where injuries happen most
Construction leads all sectors with 22 percent of these severe incidents. The high-paced nature of job sites, combined with the constant movement of heavy earth-moving machinery and transport trucks, creates a high-risk environment where visibility and traffic control are essential for your safety.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you being pinned between equipment, vehicles lunging forward during maintenance, or operators accidentally engaging gears while training others. These incidents often stem from a breakdown in communication or a failure to secure machinery before work begins. 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 | FL | Manufacturing | "An employee was walking beside a pallet jack while operating it and became pinned between the pallet jack and some pallets. The employee sustained a fractured left leg." | |
| 2025 | TX | Retail Trade | "An employee was working under a pickup truck, changing out the shift linkage cable. The cable was being attached to the gear shift from within the cab. When the cable was pulled within the cab to connect it, the truck went into neutral and rolled over the employee's left shoulder. The employee suffered fractures to the left humerus, left shoulder blade, and left-side ribs, as well as severe contusions to the left shoulder." | |
| 2025 | PA | Other Services | "An employee was working on a tractor's brakes when the vehicle lunged forward and the tire rolled over his lower leg. He was hospitalized with bruising." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Accommodation & Food Services | "A chauffeur exited their vehicle. The vehicle (an SUV) ran over the chauffeur and crushed their pelvis resulting in hospitalization." | |
| 2025 | IL | Manufacturing | "An employee was training a co-worker to use a forklift to empty a bulk bag into a hopper. The employee was standing under the forks and asked the co-worker to dismount the forklift and assist them. The co-worker contacted the gearshift while dismounting, setting the forklift to "forward." The injured employee was then pinned between the tipper and the forklift mast. The co-worker backed up the forklift to release the employee, causing him to drop to the ground. The employee was then struck by the contents of the bulk bag falling on his head and body. He was hospitalized with a fracture in his chest and injury to his back and abdomen." | |
| 2025 | PA | Retail Trade | "An employee was operating a rolling container carrier (RTC) vehicle in pedestrian mode. When he operated the hand lever to turn it, the RTC pinned his left leg against the pick location. The employee suffered a laceration on his left knee and was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | GA | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was loading freight in a trailer using a forklift. He exited the forklift and walked toward the nose of the trailer. The forklift began to roll forward, and its blade tore a tendon in his left foot/ankle." | |
| 2025 | NY | Manufacturing | "An employee was working to move a pallet jack that had gotten stuck between the dock and the trailer. When the equipment was loosened, it struck the employee, throwing them backward onto the ground. The employee sustained fractured ribs and injury to their spleen and liver." | |
| 2025 | TX | Manufacturing | "An employee was stepping off a walkie rider pallet jack when their left foot was crushed between the pallet jack and the racks. The employee sustained a laceration and fracture to their left ankle." | |
| 2025 | CT | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was at ground level, using a reach tool to pull down a loose cardboard slip sheet from a fourth level rack slot. Upon releasing the slip sheet, it fell and depressed the accelerator of an electric utility cart, causing the cart to begin to drive away and strike the corner of the racking. The employee's lower left arm was caught between the cart and the racking. The employee was hospitalized with a fractures to their radius and ulna, and required surgery." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.