Saskatoon Loraas truck driver hears noise, finds man inside compacted recycling

A Saskatoon Loraas recycling truck driver got a shock on Monday when he heard noise coming from the back of his truck and found a man inside.

According to the Saskatoon Fire Department, the driver heard noise coming from the truck's recycling compartment as he was travelling along College Drive following a pickup at Clarence Avenue and 8th Street.

The driver pulled over and found someone in the back with the crushed recycling, then called 911 for help, said Rob Hogan, deputy chief of operations and emergency communications

"We can only surmise that that individual was in a bin that was picked up and dumped into their truck," Hogan said.

He says it took firefighters about 15 minutes to pull the man from the recycling truck using a scoop stretcher, a device used specifically for moving injured people, especially those with possible spinal injuries. 

Hogan said that while the man was safely pulled from the recycling, it appeared he had been inside the truck during a compression cycle.

Hogan said the man was transferred to hospital, but didn't have any information on his current condition.

Hogan said it was unclear why the man was inside the recycling bin or how he got there.

"We've dealt with this one, at least one more time this year, and it has happened off and on over the years, so I wouldn't say it's not a common thing, but we do sometimes find individuals in the large bins, in the trucks or even in the city garbage bin."