Abstract: Employee #1 was working as a laborer for a contractor who was tearing down a rotted wooden building and rebuilding it. The workers were getting ready to take their coffee break when a piece of a rotted wood rafter started to break loose. One worker saw it and yelled a warning. The workers scattered in different directions. The 2 in. by 2 in. by 6 ft long piece of wood fell, hit the scaffolding, and fell to the floor. After it hit the floor, the piece of wood may have fallen over and struck Employee #1 on the back (no marks were found). Employee #1 stumbled and fell face first to the concrete floor; he was rendered unconscious for a few minutes. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where doctors discovered a skull fracture. Employee #1 was then transported to St. Luke's Hospital in Fargo, ND, where he was held for examination and observation. Employee #1 was stable until evening, when he slipped into a coma. He was pronounced brain dead at about 12:00 noon the following day. Employee #1 was then removed from life support and died at about 2:00 p.m. on July 21, 1988.