Abstract: At approximately 11:35 a.m. on February 25, 2003, Employee #1 was performing his duties as a street maintenance worker with the City of Commerce. Employee #1 was being transported in the back of a Ford Model Number F-350 flatbed truck (Number 407). It was the end of the shift and Employee #1 and another employee had brought the truck back to the yard to unload the debris that they had collected during their shift. Because it had been raining that day, mud had collected in the back of the truck which had to be cleaned out. After Employee #1 and the other employee unloaded the truck, Employee #1 asked the other employee to move the truck forward so that they could access a water hose located approximately 30 feet away. The truck's lift gate was positioned approximately half way between the ground and the truck bed, which measured 37 inches in height. While Employee #1 stood in the back of the truck, the other employee got into the cab to drive the truck forward. Due to the mud that had accumulated on his boots, the employee's foot slipped off of the brake pedal and landed on the accelerator pedal causing the truck to lurch forward. As the truck moved forward, Employee #1 fell from the back of the truck, striking the truck's lift gate before hitting the ground. Employee #1 sustained contusions to his head and was hospitalized.