NIGHTMARE

Man Rescued From Garbage Truck After Screams Heard Inside

The man was taken to the hospital in a serious condition, but survived the scary ordeal.

A man trapped inside a San Francisco garbage truck has been rescued after a passerby heard screams coming from the vehicle. The truck driver had already compacted the trash once when the person alerted him around 4:11 a.m. on Wednesday, People reported. The driver then shut off the truck and heard the man crying for help. Firefighters determined it was too dangerous to dump the load and instead began digging through the garbage by hand. About 25 firefighters spent more than two hours working to reach the man, who remained conscious and responsive throughout the rescue. Paramedics inserted an IV into his arm to guard against crush syndrome, a potentially deadly condition caused by prolonged compression. The man was freed before 7 a.m. and taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital in serious condition, The San Francisco Standard reported. Officials said he had apparently climbed into a dumpster before it was emptied into the truck. The incident remains under investigation.