Calgary firefighters were dispatched to the 3000 block of 17 Avenue Southeast for a confined space rescue in the back of a garbage truck at about 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday. .“Had the garbage truck been full, his injuries would have been much more serious if not fatal,” said Calgary Fire Department (CFD) District Chief Brent Neil in a Tuesday press release. .The release said a garbage truck had picked up a dumpster, lifted it overhead, and emptied it into the back. It said the driver compacted the contents and picked up another load, emptying it into the back. .The driver heard a noise, checked his camera, and saw there was a man in the back among all of the garbage. He stopped the vehicle and went to the back to try and help. .The release went on to say an EMS crew was first on scene and boarded the truck to try and rescue the patient. It added arriving CFD crews called the technical rescue team for support due to the unique circumstances of the situation. .The man, who was breathing and conscious, was put into a special hard back harness. Under some of his own power, he was lifted by rescuers out of the garbage truck and lowered to the ground. .An initial assessment of his condition determined he sustained moderate injuries from the compaction process. He was transported to hospital via EMS.
