Abstract: On May 2, 2011, Employee #1, who was employed by an apartment complex management company, was observing a tow truck operator preparing to tow a car. The car was being towed because it was parked illegally in the wrong carport. The tow truck driver was on the ground, hooking up the towing gear to the car, and Employee #1 noted that the car began to roll backwards, in the path of the tow truck driver. Concerned that the car would run over the tow truck driver, Employee #1 grabbed the door of the car to try to stop it. His thumb got caught between the door and the metal post that supported the roof of the carport. Employee #1's left thumb was partially amputated, with loss of mostly soft tissue but a small fragment of bone as well. He was taken to Kaiser Walnut Creek Medical Center, where he was hospitalized in excess of 24 hours.