Abstract: At approximately 10:00 a.m. on May 23, 2001, a garbage truck driver was in a residential neighborhood standing on the ground at the side of the garbage truck. The employee had his right hand on the truck's outside control lever which controlled the upward or downward movement of the trash bin. When the fork lift mechanism was moving upward, a steel plate welded onto the forks swept too close to the control lever. The plate and lever created a shearing action which amputated the flesh from the fifth finger on the employee's right hand. The employee was transported to the UCLA Medical Center, where tissue and bone were removed from the tip of the employee's finger down to the first knuckle.