How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 156 severe cases involving vehicle and machine exterior parts, such as doors, steps, and panels. These incidents frequently result in amputations and fractures, which are among the most serious injuries reported to federal regulators.
The severity of these injuries is reflected in the high rate of permanent damage to your fingers and hands. You often face long-term disability and the need for multiple surgeries after being caught in or struck by these exterior components.
How these injuries happen
Injuries involving vehicle and machine exterior parts often occur during your routine entry or exit. You are frequently struck by swinging doors or suspended objects, or you become caught between moving equipment and stationary surfaces. These incidents often happen when latches fail, steps are poorly maintained, or doors close unexpectedly while you are positioned in a pinch point.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Struck by falling object | 40 |
| 2 | Struck by suspended or swinging object | 40 |
| 3 | Other fall to lower level | 18 |
| 4 | Compressed between running equipment and other object(s) | 8 |
| 5 | Caught or wedged between objects— nonrunning | 8 |
| 6 | Fall on same level | 5 |
| 7 | Struck by propelled object or substance | 5 |
| 8 | Struck by rolling powered vehicle or machinery | 4 |
Where injuries happen most
Manufacturing accounts for 31% of these severe incidents, as you frequently interact with heavy machinery and industrial vehicle panels. Wholesale trade and transportation industries also report high injury rates, largely due to the constant use of semi-trailers and delivery trucks where doors and steps are primary points of contact.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports involve you suffering fingertip amputations when doors shut unexpectedly or sustaining fractures after falling from slick or damaged truck steps. These incidents often stem from equipment design flaws or a lack of proper maintenance on hinges and latches. 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 | VA | Transportation & Warehousing | "An employee was getting out of a postal vehicle when the door shut on his right ring finger, severing his fingertip. The employee's right ring fingertip was amputated." | |
| 2025 | GA | Wholesale Trade | "On July 25, 2025, an employee was exiting his truck when he fell approximately 2 feet from the truck step to the asphalt surface below. The employee's left hip was fractured." | |
| 2025 | WI | Administrative Services | "An employee was opening a door to a semi trailer at the facility and his hand was caught between the door and another parked semi. The employee's left index finger was fractured and thumb muscles were injured. The employee was hospitalized and required surgery. " | |
| 2025 | OK | Agriculture | "An employee was making rounds to the barns to take care of cattle. The employee was stepping out of a van and the sliding door closed on their little finger. The employee's fingertip was amputated." | |
| 2025 | MO | Manufacturing | "An employee was reaching for a label and stepped onto a metal piece along rollers and slipped. His leg went down into a gap between the machines and contacted the metal in the gap between the rollers. The employee was hospitalized with the avulsion of skin on his left shin between the ankle and knee, as well as injuries to muscle and ligament." | |
| 2025 | FL | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was walking behind a trailer with the ramp in the up position. The ramp was bumped, causing it to fall onto the back of their ankle. The employee was hospitalized with a torn tendon." | |
| 2025 | PA | Construction | "An employee was unhooking the ramps to an equipment trailer in preparation for unloading equipment. The employee engaged the pneumatic system to lower the ramp. He walked around the back of the trailer and the ramp fell down and pinned him to the ground. The employee sustained fractures to his T5 and T7 to T11 vertebrae, three fractured ribs on the left side, a punctured lung, and severe bruising of his left side and hip. The employee was hospitalized." | |
| 2025 | TX | Wholesale Trade | "An employee had just finished a delivery of food products at a customer location. While walking down the side ramp of a trailer, the employee slipped and fell, sustaining a fractured right elbow." | |
| 2025 | PA | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was loading snow guns and jacks onto a dump-style truck. The truck was parked on an incline and the door closed on the employee. The employee was hospitalized for contusions and a lacerated liver." | |
| 2025 | TX | Utilities | "An employee was operating a dump truck when the trailer door swung and pinched the employee's right middle fingertip underneath the nailbed, resulting in an amputation." |
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 severe injuries like amputations that occur during the course of your employment. Because these injuries often require surgery and long-term rehabilitation, an attorney can help ensure your claim accurately reflects the full extent of your impairment and assist in navigating the process of securing permanent partial disability benefits.
Your employer has a legal duty to maintain equipment in a safe working condition, including the steps and handles you use to enter or exit vehicles. If a failure to repair a known hazard led to your injury, you may have grounds for a claim beyond standard Workers' Compensation. An attorney can help you investigate whether your employer violated safety maintenance protocols.
If a machine part failed or was improperly guarded, you should document the condition of the equipment and report the incident to your supervisor immediately. Preserving evidence is critical, as it helps establish whether the manufacturer or your employer failed to meet safety standards. An attorney can help you gather the necessary documentation to support your claim for benefits.
Many injuries involving vehicle and machine parts are preventable through proper training, regular equipment inspections, and the use of appropriate safety guards. When your employer fails to implement these safeguards, they may be held accountable for the resulting harm. An attorney can help you evaluate whether your specific injury resulted from a failure to follow established safety regulations.