Struck by Vehicle at Work — Injury Statistics and Claims Information
Struck by Vehicle at Work
Incidents are decreasing but remain highly severe
OSHA recorded 1,841 severe incidents involving workers struck by powered vehicles or machinery over the last decade. These events frequently result in fractures and traumatic amputations, which account for nearly 68 percent of all reported injury natures.
The physical impact of heavy equipment often leads to catastrophic damage to fingers, legs, and the chest. Workers frequently face long-term disability due to the crushing force associated with these industrial vehicle accidents.
What's Driving the Trend?
While the 10-year trend shows a 56.9 percent decrease in reported cases, the recent year-over-year increase of 61.3 percent indicates persistent safety gaps. Powered industrial vehicles and trucks remain the primary sources of injury, appearing in over 60 percent of all documented reports.
Construction and transportation sectors bear the highest burden, collectively accounting for nearly 40 percent of all incidents. These environments often involve high-traffic zones where the lack of clear pedestrian separation leads to frequent and severe contact injuries.
Injury Types from Struck by Vehicle
Top causes based on OSHA incident reports
Struck by vehicle incidents typically occur when workers are pinned between moving equipment and stationary objects, or when vehicles lunge unexpectedly during maintenance. Powered industrial trucks and heavy earth-moving machinery are the most common sources of these injuries, often involving operators who lose control or pedestrians who are not visible to the driver.
| 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 |
Why This Matters for Your Case
Employers are strictly required to maintain safe operating zones and provide adequate training under 29 CFR 1910.178. Failure to implement effective traffic control, blind-spot monitoring, or proper lockout-tagout procedures during vehicle maintenance often constitutes a direct violation of federal safety mandates.
Industries with Most Struck by Vehicle
Where these injuries occur most frequently
Construction leads all sectors with 22.2 percent of incidents, followed closely by transportation and warehousing at 17.7 percent. These industries rely heavily on mobile equipment in dynamic, high-pressure environments where the proximity between heavy machinery and ground personnel is constant.
High-Risk Industries and Your Rights
In these high-risk industries, employers must comply with 29 CFR 1926.601 regarding motor vehicles and mechanized equipment. This includes ensuring that all equipment is equipped with functional backup alarms and that operators are certified to handle specific machinery in congested work areas.
Real Incident Reports
From actual OSHA investigation files
Reported incidents frequently reveal a pattern of communication failures and inadequate physical barriers between workers and moving machinery. Many cases involve employees being pinned during routine maintenance or while assisting with equipment operation, highlighting the dangers of working in the immediate path of heavy vehicles.
"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."
"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."
"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."
"A chauffeur exited their vehicle. The vehicle (an SUV) ran over the chauffeur and crushed their pelvis resulting in hospitalization."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
Common Questions About Struck by Vehicle 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.