Rescued from a garbage truck
An industrial garbage truck had already picked up its first load of the morning and compacted the rubbish inside. Then someone walking nearby heard screaming. The passer-by flagged down the driver of the Recology truck in San Francisco and told him that someone appeared to be yelling from inside the garbage compartment. The driver stopped the vehicle. Switched off, he could hear the cries for help too. Fire officials believe the man had been inside a dumpster before its contents were mechanically lifted and emptied into the garbage truck. .Fire officials said he may have been searching through the rubbish for food or other items. The truck had already compacted the rubbish once before the driver was stopped, according to fire department spokesman. The San Francisco Fire Department was called at about 4.11am. What followed was an unusual rescue operation involving about 25 firefighters who spent more than two hours digging through the truck’s contents by hand. The man was completely buried under the debris. Getting him out presented rescuers with another problem.
Firefighters knew approximately where the man’s voice was coming from, but simply dumping the contents of the truck onto the street could have caused further injuries. Instead, crews began removing the rubbish manually. Around 25 firefighters worked pulling bags and debris from the vehicle piece by piece as they tried to reach him. Throughout much of the operation, rescuers could still communicate with the trapped man. “I personally heard him yell a few times.
I don’t know if that was in pain or just frustration.” Pictures and the video below show firefighters surrounding the truck as a huge pile of rubbish accumulated on the street. Rescuers eventually managed to reach one of the man’s arms before they could fully free him. That allowed paramedics to start an intravenous drip while firefighters continued removing the rubbish. The treatment was intended to reduce the risk of crush syndrome, a potentially life-threatening complication that can occur after someone has been trapped or compressed for an extended period. The man remained conscious and was able to communicate with rescuers during the operation. Firefighters finally removed the man from the truck before 7am. He was placed on a stretcher and taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where he was reported to be in serious condition but responding well.
Garbage jokes
Many years ago my young daughter watched as I carried a heavy garbage can to the curb in the morning. Little Mary said she was sorry that I had to carry such a heavy thing. Don’t be I said, “If I have big garbage can that means we have a home and food and even things that we don’t need.” Recently, I called my now all grown up daughter who has a daughter of her own. When I asked how everything was, she replied, “Great, we are still putting out the garbage.”
Have you heard about the recycling bin with a sign that said, “Empty water bottles here?”
Pretty soon the bin was full of water.
How rich are garbage men?
Filthy.
I don’t recycle because I don’t want to look like an alcoholic to my garbage man.
September 4th Birthdays
1997 – Victoria Morales, 1981 – Beyonce Knowles, 1970 – Ione Skye, 1951 – Judith Ivey
1958 – Dr. Drew Pinsky, 2002 – Tenzing Trainor, 1961 – Damon Wayans, 1949 -Tom Watson