San Francisco

Man Pulled from Trash Heap at San Francisco Recycling Center

A man was found trapped in a heap of cardboard, bottles and cans Monday morning at a Recology recycling center in San Francisco.

A Recology employee, who had previously meandered around the city collecting recyclables in a front-loader truck that is designed to pick up dumpsters, was dropping off his haul off at the company's facility on Pier 96 when workers spotted a man's body among the rubbish, Recology spokesman Robert Reed said.

The truck's hydraulic compactor, which is used to crush rubbish, likely left the man with serious injuries, according to fire officials. Despite that trauma, the man was responsive when workers found him, Reed said.

"They called 911," he said. "They kept talking to him to make sure that he regained consciousness."

The man was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital with serious injuries.

Monday's episode wasn't the first time someone in the Bay Area has been found among a pile of junk.

"Things like this happen every five to eight years," Reed said.

Back in 2014, a man was rescued after he managed to knock on the wall of a dump truck and alert the driver that he was stuck inside.

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