A Calgary garbage man was caught by surprise Tuesday morning after finding a man in the back of the garbage truck he was driving.
The Calgary Fire Department said they got a call around 10:20 a.m. for a confined space rescue near the 3000 block of 17th Avenue S.E.
Firefighters said a garbage truck had picked up a dumpster, lifted it overhead and emptied it into the back of the truck when the driver then compacted the contents and picked up another load, emptying that into the back.
In a news release, CFD said the driver heard something, checked his camera and saw that there was a person in the back of his truck amongst all the garbage.
“He immediately stopped the vehicle and went to the back to try and help,” firefighters said.
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EMS was first on scene, though due to the unique circumstances of the confined space, CFD called its technical rescue team for support.
CFD said the man inside was breathing and conscious. He was then put into a special hardback harness and using some of his own strength was able to be lifted out of the truck by rescuers and lowered to the ground.
On scene district chief Brent Neil said, “had the garbage truck been full, his injuries would have been much more serious if not fatal.”
Due to the compaction process, EMS said an initial assessment of the patient’s condition could be characterized as having sustained moderate injuries. The man was then transported to a nearby hospital by EMS.
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