Abstract: At about 3:00 p.m. on March 16, 1994, in El Cajon, CA, Employee #1, a 56-year-old laborer, was in a trench checking for water leaks just prior to pipe installation. A section of an unshored trench caved in on him and he was buried up to his hips. Other workers at the site dug him free and lifted him up to the sidewalk. While 911 was being called, they constructed a splint for his leg out of lathe and cardboard. Paramedics arrived in about 5 minutes and transported him to a local hospital. He sustained a fracture of the left tibia and considerable left knee damage. The company has an annual trench/excavation permit without any prior problem in this area. A serious citation had been issued as a result of an accident in June 1992.