U.S Department of the Interior- U.S Geological Survey
Pedestrian struck by vehicle backing up in nonroadway area · Nonfatal 'crushing' injuries
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at U.S Department of the Interior- U.S Geological Survey, 712 Front Street, SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA 95060
on — Nonfatal 'crushing' injuries, affecting the Lower leg(s).
Final narrative
An employee had just delivered a package at a local FedEx office and was walking back to his vehicle in the parking lot. Another vehicle backed out of a parking spot and pinned the employee between their vehicle and another parked vehicle. The employee's lower right leg was crushed, and they were hospitalized.
An employee was diagnosing the cause of a rear light malfunction on a forklift when the reverse gear engaged. The forklift moved backward and contacted the employee causing a metatarsal fracture in their left foot and injury to their lower right leg.
An employee was collecting shopping carts in the parking lot when he was struck by a customer's truck as it was backing out of a parking spot. The truck pinned the employee's left leg against the cart mule they were using. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured leg and required surgery.
An employee was working with paving equipment and heard a noise on the opposite side of the machine he was working on. When the machine stopped, the employee went to the opposite side and crouched down to investigate the noise. A mini track loader backed up and drove over the employee's leg. The employee sustained fractures to their lower leg, ankle, and foot.
An employee took a picture of the seal and license plate on a delivery truck after loading. The truck then reversed back to the dock and pinned the injured employee against the dock. The employee sustained an abdominal fracture.
An employee was between a milling machine and an 18-wheeler belly dump when the 18-wheeler backed up and ran over his feet and legs. The employee was caught between the front of the milling machine and the truck. The employee sustained fractures to their hip, leg, and feet.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 541690)
An employee was mopping a floor when they stepped forward onto a section they just mopped and slipped, falling to the ground. The employee suffered a shattered kneecap.
An employee was walking through a swampy area carrying a machete. He tripped on a log, and the machete lacerated his right hand. He was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was conducting a routine equipment check when a flash fire occurred and the employee sustained first-degree burns to their face, second-degree burns to the right side of their lower back and third-degree burns to the entirety of both legs.
An employee was hitching a trailer to their vehicle when the trailer fell to the ground, trapping both of their legs. The employee sustained a fractured right leg.
The injured employee was assisting a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) enforcement operation. During an apprehension, officers returned fire at a subject and struck the employee with a bullet. The employee sustained a gunshot wound to their right hand.
The injured employee was assisting in the disassembly phase after a radar array had been lowered and secured. The crew began removing load bearing pins from an overhead crane to free the radome. A load bearing pin was stuck. The injured employee went to remove the pin manually as a second team member applied pressure from the opposite side. The pin unexpectedly released and struck the injured employee s right thumb, resulting in partial amputation of the distal phalanx including an open distal phalanx fracture and nail bed laceration.
At about 3:10 p.m. on October 3, 2025, an employee was inspecting a car. Two dogs that had been in another car were leashed and tethered to a bollard. As the employee inspected the first car along with a narcotics detection dog, one of the other dogs came loose and attacked the narcotics dog. The employee was separating the dogs when the other dog bit his left ring finger. The last joint of the finger was injured and part of it was bitten off.
An employee was preparing a bundle of green onions for chopping. While holding the bundle in his left hand, he made his first cut using a 9-inch kitchen knife held in his right hand. The knife contacted the tip of his left thumb, resulting in an amputation of approximately 0.5 inches of the thumb that required hospitalization.