The Redmond Fire Department (RFD) responded to a 911 call at 6:16 a.m. Tuesday after a man who was presumably sleeping in a dumpster was inadvertently dropped into a Waste Management truck near Northeast 80th Street and Redmond Elementary School in downtown.
Mike Hilley, director of emergency medical services for RFD, said while they initially thought the man would need to be transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle — which is a Level I adult/pediatric trauma center — the man did not sustain any serious injuries. He was transported to Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue.
“He’s in good condition,” Hilley said.
It took firefighters about 15-20 minutes to extricate the man from the truck.
The man was compressed twice but Hilley said fortunately, the truck was almost full so the man was toward the top of the truck. Crews used a ladder truck to rescue him, extending its platform right over the truck to extricate him vertically.
While many people think firefighters use the ladder truck to fight fires, Hilley said they are used more for rescues. He said the ladder truck worked well with the height of the Waste Management truck.
Becky Range, public information officer for the Redmond Police Department (RPD), said the man was likely using the dumpster as shelter from the weather. When the Waste Management employees dropped the man into their truck, Range said he screamed.
Jackie Lang, a spokesperson for Waste Management Northwest, said their drivers have encountered people seeking shelter in recycling and garbage containers.
“Climbing into a dumpster creates an unsafe situation because dumpsters often contain sharp objects, such as broken glass and metals,” she said. “Also, there is the potential for serious injury if a person is in a dumpster while it is serviced, resulting in the person being dumped into a recycling or garbage truck.”
Lang offered tips on what community members can do to help keep people safe. In addition to being alert, there are a number of things people can do to help avert situations in which people seek refuge from the weather in dumpsters.
Lang’s tips are:
Keep dumpster lids closed. If you have a lock for your dumpster, remember to keep it locked when not in use or being serviced.
Check inside and around your dumpster periodically for signs of use other than for containing trash and recycling.
Contact local authorities or a community homeless shelter if you suspect a person is in need of support services.
If you believe someone is inside a dumpster, call local authorities immediately.
Lang also said they need help from local authorities and community organizations that serve the homeless population:
Please remind people dumpsters are not a safe place to seek refuge.
Trash and recycle trucks can contain compactors. When a dumpster is emptied into a truck, the material is compacted and crushed to create room for more material. This creates a risk for anyone trapped in a truck.
