Abstract: At approximately 11:30 a.m. on June 19, 1985, Employee #1 was installing PVC sewer pipe in a 3 ft wide by 6 to 8 1/2 ft deep trench. He was kneeling down cleaning dirt out of the pipe before installing the next length when the east wall of the trench caved in and completely buried him. Coworkers started to dig him out and called 911 emergency services. Employee #1 was airlifted to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Unit, where he was admitted in critical condition with a torn liver, a collapsed lung, and a broken pelvis. There was some water seeping through the walls of the trench where Employee #1 was working. The trench walls were not sloped, shored, braced, or benched back.