Abstract: On May 27, 2004, an employee was lowered into a trench while riding in the bucket of a backhoe. His assignment was to unclog the sleeve coming from the manhole that had been covered with mud. As the employee leaned out of the bucket to unclog the sleeve, the trench wall began to collapse, causing the soil to compress the employee's leg against the backhoe bucket. There was no trench box in place, and as the employee worked, water seeped freely into the trench. The employee sustained broken bones to his leg just above the knee. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital and was hospitalized.