Abstract: Employee #1 was working as a helper on a tree trimming job. According to witnesses, at the time of the accident, Employee #1 was walking in the driveway attempting to catch up to a woman and a security guard who had walked into a barricaded area while a large sycamore tree was being trimmed. After reaching the security guard and warning them to get out of the area, he turned to walk back and was hit by a falling branch, which had been cut by one of the three employees in the tree. According to witnesses, an employee on the ground yelled to Employee #1 before the branch fell, and he tried to get away, but ran the wrong way and the branch struck him. The branch was approximately five inches in diameter and six to eight feet long. Employee #1 sustained a fractured skull, was hospitalized at Holy Cross Hospital from December 12, 1999 to January 5, 2000, and underwent surgery to have a steel plate inserted in his head.