Abstract: At 7:45 a.m. on Friday, October 20, 1989, Employee #1 was helping another worker hook up a 14 foot Lowboy utility trailer to a Ford F-350 truck. After guiding the truck up to the trailer tongue, Employee #1 proceeded to hook-up the safety chains and to guide the trailer down to the hitch ball, which was located approximately 2 feet under the flat bed of the truck. At the same time the other worker was lowering the trailer jack, Employee #1 proceeded to drive the Case (Bobcat) Ni-Loader 1845C up on to the trailer. The employee noticed that the trailer was off the hitch ball and that the safety latch on trailer was not in the down position. While the other worker was maneuvering the Bobcat on to the trailer, Employee #1 reached under the flat bed of the truck and over the trailer tongue to lock the trailer coupler to the truck hitch ball. When Employee #1 was in this position, the trailer tongue snapped from the weight of the rear of the Bobcat, crushing Employee #1's head.