How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 253 severe cases involving undercarriage components over the past decade. Fractures account for 43% of these incidents, often resulting from high-pressure releases or heavy equipment shifts that cause immediate, debilitating trauma.
These injuries frequently involve fingers, leading to long-term impairment. The high rate of amputations and intracranial injuries highlights the extreme force involved when pressurized components or heavy steel parts fail during maintenance.
Hit by equipment parts? Check what benefits you may be owed.
Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Injuries involving undercarriage components typically stem from sudden, high-energy releases. Explosions of pressure vessels, piping, or tires account for 37% of incidents, often occurring during routine inflation or repair. You are also frequently struck by falling or propelled objects when components like split rims or track pads release unexpectedly under tension.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Explosion of pressure vessel, piping, or tire | 93 |
| 2 | Struck by falling object | 57 |
| 3 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 36 |
| 4 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 19 |
| 5 | Overexertion while materials moving by hand | 11 |
| 6 | Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects—non-running | 9 |
| 7 | Caught or wedged between objects— nonrunning | 8 |
| 8 | Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object— unspecified | 5 |
Where injuries happen most
Retail trade accounts for 28% of these severe injuries, largely due to the frequency of tire and suspension maintenance in retail-affiliated service centers. Transportation and warehousing operations also see high incident rates, as you handle heavy, pressurized undercarriage assemblies without adequate safety guarding.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these incidents include sudden tire blowouts during inflation, split rim failures during assembly, and pinch-point injuries while realigning heavy track pads. These reports show that even routine maintenance tasks can turn dangerous when equipment is not properly secured or pressure is not safely managed. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you evaluate your claim.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | CT | Other Services | "On July 19, 2025, an employee was filling a wheelbarrow tire with air when the tire exploded, resulting in severe injuries to their right hand including a partial amputation." | |
| 2025 | FL | Other Services | "A mechanic was replacing the airbag suspension on the front axle of a utility trailer. The airbag blew out, causing an injury to the mechanic's left foot that required hospitalization and surgery." | |
| 2025 | MT | Retail Trade | "An agricultural tire failed and struck an employee's face and left hand. The employee suffered a cut above the left eye and multiple fractures in the hand and was hospitalized for surgery." | |
| 2025 | AR | Agriculture | "On June 23, 2025, an employee was assisting with a tire replacement. As the employee was returning with tools, two co-workers were positioning the tire on the hub. The tire released pressure, causing a piece of the split rim to strike the employee. They were hospitalized with a fractured left ankle and pelvis." | |
| 2025 | MS | Other Services | "An employee was conducting repair work on a dozer. They had to remove the tracks to make the repair and were preparing to put them back together when two track pads buckled and pinched the employee's left thumb. The employee's thumb was partially amputated." | |
| 2025 | MO | Transportation & Warehousing | "During installation of one of the wheel assemblies, the injured employee was working to align the brake disc to the wheel keyways. Another mechanic was applying pressure to the wheel in the install direction. When the alignment was achieved and the wheel slid on, the injured employee's left thumb was caught between the brake disc and the wheel keyway. Approximately inch of the thumb tip was severed, without bone loss." | |
| 2025 | NY | Other Services | "Two mechanics were putting a 206-pound tire on a rim. One employee sustained a hernia." | |
| 2025 | MS | Administrative Services | "A mechanic was replacing the passenger's side airbag on the rear end of a truck when the driver's side airbag on the rear end blew and the employee sustained injury to the left hand, wrist and forearm. The employee sustained fractures that required hospitalization and surgery." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Other Services | "An employee was pumping air into a tire when it moved and struck the employee's arm and fractured it." | |
| 2025 | TX | Other Services | "On April 11, 2025, an employee was helping remove the rear axle of a wheel loader using a dolly. As the axle was being pushed out, it rolled off the dolly and landed on the employee's left little finger. The finger was amputated." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.