How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 804 severe cases involving vehicle and machine attachments over the past decade. Fractures are the most common injury, accounting for 41% of all reported incidents, often occurring when equipment fails or shifts unexpectedly.
These injuries are frequently catastrophic, with fingers being the most affected body part in 33% of cases. The high rate of amputations and crushing injuries often leads to permanent impairment and long-term disability for you.
How these injuries happen
Injuries involving attachments typically occur when you are caught in pinch points during the connection process. Other fall to lower level is the leading cause at 43% of incidents, often occurring when you are tarping loads or accessing trailers. Equipment often shifts, slips, or collapses, trapping your hands or limbs between heavy metal components like pintle hooks and trailer tongues.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other fall to lower level | 335 |
| 2 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 152 |
| 3 | Struck by falling object | 99 |
| 4 | Caught or wedged between objects— nonrunning | 41 |
| 5 | Struck by suspended or swinging object | 26 |
| 6 | Struck by rolling, sliding, or shifting objects—non-running | 25 |
| 7 | Struck by running powered equipment— unspecified | 18 |
| 8 | Fall on same level | 16 |
Where injuries happen most
Transportation and warehousing leads with 23% of all reported incidents, followed by construction at 20% and manufacturing at 20%. These industries rely heavily on frequent trailer connections and equipment maintenance, creating constant exposure to high-pressure pinch points and heavy, shifting loads.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve equipment slipping during the hitching process or forks dropping unexpectedly during maintenance. You are frequently injured while performing routine tasks like connecting trailers or tarping loads when a sudden shift in weight creates a dangerous pinch point. 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 | Construction | "On July 28, 2025, an employee was connecting a trailer to the hitch on a truck when the trailer tongue slipped. The employee's left little fingertip was crushed between the trailer tongue and the ball hitch. The employee sustained an amputation." | |
| 2025 | FL | Manufacturing | "On July 25, 2025, at 11:21 a.m., an employee was sitting underneath the forks of a forklift while performing maintenance on the forklift when the forks dropped onto them, resulting in a broken femur." | |
| 2025 | OH | Utilities | "The injured employee was assisting with hitching a trailer to a truck. The employee was working to engage the lunette ring on the trailer with the pintle hook on the truck. A mini-excavator began driving onto the rear of the trailer. The added weight caused the rear of the trailer to lower and the front to rise, creating a pinch point between the trailer and the truck. The employee s left thumb was caught in the latch mechanism of the pintle hook. The thumb tip was partially amputated and required surgery." | |
| 2025 | PA | Transportation & Warehousing | "On July 18, 2025, an employee was tarping a load on a flatbed trailer in the yard. He fell approximately 13 feet off the loaded trailer and landed face-down on a gravel lot. The employee sustained facial cuts, abrasions, scrapes, fractures to their face, as well as several fractured ribs. He was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | TX | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was assisting a customer with attaching a trailer to their vehicle using a trailer mover. The trailer slipped from the trailer mover. As a result, the trailer mover struck the employee s left knee. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured left kneecap that required surgery." | |
| 2025 | PA | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was changing brake pads underneath a trailer unit. They used a hydraulic floor jack under an axle to secure the trailer in an elevated position. The trailer rolled and collapsed while the employee's head was underneath the air bag plate, resulting in a concussion, a laceration to the left side of their face, and a bruise on the right side of their face. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | LA | Wholesale Trade | "An employee was loading/unloading product from a trailer at a customer location when he fell 10-12 feet from the top of the trailer to the concrete ground below. The employee sustained a fractured left ankle." | |
| 2025 | TX | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was manually connecting a dolly to a trailer while on a slope. The dolly began rolling toward the trailer, catching their right hand between the dolly and the trailer pintle hook. The employee sustained an amputation of the right little fingertip to the first knuckle." | |
| 2025 | SD | Construction | "An employee was using an overhead crane to move a trench compaction pinwheel in the maintenance shop. The employee was stabilizing the pinwheel with their left hand as it was moving. Their left little finger was pinched between the pinwheel and a trench box, resulting in amputation of the fingertip and fingernail." | |
| 2025 | IL | Construction | "An employee was rigging prefabricated residential home deck panels on a trailer. He stepped backward and fell 9 feet off the trailer to the asphalt road. The employee sustained a blood clot on the brain and fractured ribs. " |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, Workers' Compensation is designed to cover your medical expenses and lost wages for injuries sustained on the job, including amputations. Because these injuries often require surgery and extensive rehabilitation, you may be entitled to significant benefits. An attorney can help ensure your claim accurately reflects the severity of your injury.
Workers' Compensation is a no-fault system, meaning you are generally entitled to benefits regardless of who caused the accident. Employers often attempt to shift blame to avoid liability, but an attorney can investigate whether proper training or equipment maintenance was provided. You should consult with a legal professional to protect your rights against employer pushback.
OSHA requires your employer to provide a safe workplace, which includes maintaining equipment and providing adequate training for tasks like hitching and towing. If your injury resulted from a failure to maintain equipment or a lack of safety protocols, your employer may be held accountable. An attorney can help determine if a violation of safety standards contributed to your accident.
Recovery times vary significantly depending on the severity of the fracture or crush injury and whether surgery was required. You may face long-term physical therapy and potential permanent limitations that impact your ability to return to your previous role. An attorney can help you calculate the full extent of your damages to ensure your benefits cover your long-term needs.