The injured employee was assisting with removing a metal pole used for a basketball hoop. Employees had cut down the pole to almost ground level. They put a tow rope around the remaining pole and hooked it to the hitch of a pickup truck to pull it out of the ground. The injured employee was standing by the pole to guide the rope. When the pole came out of the ground, it swung up and struck the injured employee on the left side above his waist and the right side of his head. He was knocked to the ground and his left calf was scraped. The injured employee was hospitalized with a fractured rib and lacerations. He required surgery.