How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 62 severe cases involving bicycles over the past decade. Fractures are the most common injury type, appearing in 51 percent of all reported incidents and often requiring extensive medical intervention.
These injuries are particularly severe because they frequently involve high-impact trauma to the pelvic region. You may face long recovery periods and significant medical expenses due to the nature of these crashes.
Injured on a bike? Check what benefits you may be owed.
Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Most bicycle injuries occur during direct pedal cycle incidents, which account for 87 percent of all reported events. These accidents often happen when you strike a stationary object like a tree, lose balance on uneven terrain, or slip on hazardous surfaces like ice in a parking lot.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pedal cycle incidents | 52 |
| 2 | Overexertion while moving or manipulating external object(s)— n.e.c. | 2 |
| 3 | Caught or wedged between objects— nonrunning | 1 |
| 4 | Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects—non-running | 1 |
| 5 | Other fall to lower level | 1 |
| 6 | Struck by falling object | 1 |
| 7 | Nonroadway collision with object other than vehicle | 1 |
| 8 | Struck against stationary object | 1 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing leads with 19 percent of all bicycle-related injury reports. This is often due to the use of bicycles for internal transportation across large facility grounds, where you face risks from uneven flooring, debris, or collisions with other equipment.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports include striking stationary objects, losing control on unstable ground, or slipping on slick surfaces while navigating work premises. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you understand your rights and verify your benefits.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | MT | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee was coaching a bike lesson. Their handlebar clipped a tree, rotated, and struck their left side. This caused the employee to fall, and they were hospitalized with a ruptured spleen." | |
| 2025 | CO | Accommodation & Food Services | "An employee was conducting a bike patrol, traveling down a bike trail on a mountain bike. The bike became unstable on a sandy patch and the employee struck the cross bar, resulting in an abdominal laceration. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | ID | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was riding a mountain bike to check on markings and race trails when he struck a tree. He sustained six fractured ribs and a laceration to the spleen." | |
| 2025 | OH | Transportation & Warehousing | "On January 10, 2025, an employee's bicycle slipped on a patch of ice in a parking lot. The employee suffered a hip injury and was hospitalized." | |
| 2024 | FL | Manufacturing | "An employee was mounting a bicycle when they lost their balance and fell to the ground. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured hip." | |
| 2024 | OH | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was lubricating a tricycle chain when his index finger got pulled into the sprocket and fractured. He was hospitalized for surgery." | |
| 2024 | PA | Manufacturing | "An employee was driving a three-wheeled maintenance bike through a garage door. The door struck him in the head and face area, and he fell to the ground. He suffered head, neck, and spinal injuries." | |
| 2023 | DC | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was making a delivery via bicycle when the basket rod came loose. The employee fell off the bicycle and sustained rib fractures, a wrist injury, and a concussion." | |
| 2023 | DC | Public Administration | "An employee was riding a bike off-site in preparation for an upcoming physical fitness test. The employee encountered a slick spot during the ride and fell off the bike, suffering fractures to the pelvis and right hip socket." | |
| 2023 | LA | Information | "An employee was riding an electric bicycle to get from one production site to another when they tripped and fell, resulting in head trauma." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.