Abstract: At approximately 4:30 p.m. on March 9, 1990, Employee #1, a plumber with B & G, Inc., finished his day's work at a construction site. Instead of going directly home, he socialized and drank alcohol with other company employees. At 7:55 p.m., he was driving home alone in a company truck during a heavy rainstorm when his vehicle left the road, struck an electric pole, and caught on fire. Employee #1 sustained burns over 60 percent of his body. He was taken to Francis Scott Key Burn Center, where he died on March 11, 1990. The truck was in good mechanical condition before the accident. No alcohol was found in Employee #1's blood. B & G's written policy is that no alcohol is permitted when driving a company truck, and that company vehicles are to be driven straight home after work unless permission is granted otherwise.