Abstract: On December 21, 2000, Employee #1 and three other employees were loading a Bucyrus Erie 38B crane onto a heavy duty gooseneck trailer. However, as the crane was loaded onto the trailer bed, the trailer became unbalanced. The employees decided to remove the counterweight to rebalance the level of the trailer. To remove the counterweight, which weighted 12,500 pound, they first tried severing the two 1.75-in. bolts that secured the counterweight to the crane, but were unable to remove the nuts. They then decided to hammer the tops of the bolts to free them. As they repeatedly hit the bolts, the counterweight fell, striking Employee #1 on the upper left leg. The impact fractured his femur bone that had been broken in several locations. He was hospitalized were he received orthopedic treatment to reset the fractured bones and stabilize the blood loss; in addition to, postoperative care to insure his recovery.