Abstract: At 1:00 p.m. on August 5, 2020, an employee and a coworker were working on tracks for a Volvo ECR 235 Cl excavator; they had to spread the links so they could align the bolt holes in pads. The employee and the coworker were using a press ram and heat to get the pin to move. The coworker hit the pin with a sledge hammer to make it move and on the third hit he heard a pop and thought the steel pin had moved. The employee, while standing back approximately 12 feet, stated that something had got him. When the employee turned around, the coworker saw blood running around the employee's hand and down his shirt. The employee was struck by a metal shard after the sledge hammer hit the pin. The metal shard from the pin struck the employee in his throat and severed the carotid artery, killing him. Both the employee and coworker, were wearing all necessary PPE safety glasses, leather gloves, work overalls, and boots.