Pedestrian struck by forward-moving vehicle in work zone · Concussions
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Asplundh Tree Expert Co., 5175 North Tropical Merrit Island, MERRITT ISLAND, FLORIDA 32952
on — Concussions, affecting the brain.
Final narrative
An employee was flagging traffic in a work zone behind a line of cones when a driver drove straight into the employee, bruising the employee's right leg and causing a concussion.
At 9:30 a.m. on August 4, 2021, a two-person crew was trimming branches on a 36-foot locust tree using an elevator lift truck. An employee was in the elevated bucket of the boom truck using a stick saw. While he was lowering the boom to clear some hangers, the walking pin to the hydraulic cylinder failed. The upper boom and bucket fell about 7.9 feet, coming to rest on the top of the cab protection rack. The employee suffered a head laceration and was hospitalized.
An employee was trimming a pecan tree with a hand saw. He had climbed the tree and was pulling a limb back to cut it when the limb contacted power lines. The employee was shocked and suffered burns to both hands and both knees.
An employee was walking around his work truck on muddy terrain when he slipped and fell in the mud. His left hip struck a 6-inch tree stump and was broken.
An employee was directing traffic when a shag truck turned sharply and ran over the employee. They suffered a crush injury to the lower left leg and internal bleeding.
An employee was standing on the street holding a stop/slow paddle and directing the flow of traffic. As they were holding the stop sign, a vehicle attempted to drive around the employee but struck them. The employee sustained fractures to the tibia and fibula and was hospitalized.
A paving crew was working on a roadway when a motor vehicle entered the work zone. Two employees sustained injuries including fractures and damage to internal organs that required hospitalization.
An employee was flagging traffic when they were struck from behind by a car that entered a work zone. The impact of the vehicle threw the employee approximately 45 feet and she landed on another employee. The employee who was struck by the car sustained a head laceration and fractures to the ribs and ankle.
An employee was setting up a worksite on a roadway when they were struck by a vehicle. The employee suffered blunt force trauma to the chest, pelvis, and legs from contact with the vehicle, with subsequent trauma to the neck and head upon falling to the ground.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 561730)
An employee was helping to set up a mulch blowing truck when they were struck by an oncoming vehicle. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured knee, a concussion, and a head laceration; they also received stitches on their arm.
An employee was using a table saw to cut a piece of wood when the saw cut his thumb, index, and middle fingers. His index finger was amputated and he was hospitalized.
An employee was mowing a residential lawn at a client's house. The mower slid on the land and tipped over onto him. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured vertebra in the neck and partial paralysis.
An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.
An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.
An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.
An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.