Abstract: At approximately 1:30 p.m. on April 3, 2012, an employee was working as a laborer for a farm labor contractor. He was suckering branches inside a plum tree at an orchard located in McFarland, CA. He was doing this by climbing up an orchard step ladder and then climbing into plum trees in order to reach branches further within the tree. As the employee was stepping out of a tree and onto the ladder, the tree branch from which he was stepping with his left foot broke. The employee fell down through the tree and onto the ground. The ladder was knocked over as well. The employee was impaled by a cut tree branch as he fell. He sustained a deep laceration 17 centimeters (6.7 inches) long in the area of his left armpit. He landed at the foot of the tree. A coworker saw the employee fall out of the tree, and he went over to assist. A second coworker then transported the employee to the Industrial Medical Group facility in Bakersfield, CA, where he was examined. After emergency treatment, the employee was taken to San Joaquin Hospital for follow-up care and then released for outpatient care.