Abstract: On December 11, 1997, Employee #1, age 18, was working by an excavation in Omaha, NE. He was told to stand on the edge of the trench and check the sewer line so that the operator did not break it with the bucket. He was apparently standing on the edge looking into the excavation when the side of the trench collapsed. Employee #1 fell into the trench and was partially buried. He was trying to free himself when the side of the excavation collapsed again, nearly covering him. The operator threw him a shovel and told him to dig himself loose. The operator stated that he wanted to come down and help Employee #1, but Employee #1 said not to come into the hole and that he would dig himself out. Employee #1's brother, who witnessed the event, stated that his brother never said he didn't need help. The brother then ran to his grandmother's house and called emergency 911. He was gone for five minutes and, by the time he returned, Employee #1 was covered completely. The operator then exposed Employee #1's head and shoulders, at which time he was still breathing. The fire department arrived and told everyone to get away and that they would take over from there. At some point, Employee #1 died of asphyxia.