Abstract: At 8:02 a.m. on December 22, 1989, Employee #1 was retrieving merchandise from some steel shelving when the bottom of the 8 ft wooden stepladder he was using slipped out from under him. He fell approximately 3 ft, suffering a compound fracture and dislocation of his left ankle. The injury required hospitalization and open surgical reduction. At 11:10 a.m. on February 4, 1990, Employee #1 suffered a massive bilateral pulmonary embolism and died, a direct result of blood clots that had formed in his immobilized left leg following the initial accident. The stepladder was defective, was not in good repair, and was not placed properly against the shelving.