Abstract: At 12:30 p.m. on January 4, 2023, an employee and two coworkers were installing sewer pipe in a 6-foot, 7-inch trench. The employee and a coworker were working inside a steel trench box connecting the pipe. When the pipe was installed, another coworker, the excavator operator, covered the pipe with fine aggregate material, dumped 2-3 loads of stone, and then used the back of the bucket to smooth the material. The coworker facing the excavator with his back against the spreader bars was using hand signals to inform the excavator operator when to stop moving the bucket forward. While the coworker was giving the forward signal, the excavator operator continued to move the machine's bucket towards the employee while leveling the stone pipe cover material on the trench bottom. The coworker continued to give the signal to the operator until the employee in the trench yelled "stop" to the operator. Without a "stop" signal from the spotting employee, the excavator operator continued to move the bucket forward until it made contact with the employee's mid section. The employee was crushed between the excavator bucket and the steel trench box spreader bars. The employee died due to his injuries.