Homeless Man Injured in Dump Truck Accident at Sun Street Transfer Station [Salinas, CA]

Homeless Man Accidentally Dumped into a Pile of Trash in Salinas

 
SALINAS, CA (December 11, 2018) – A homeless man sustained injuries after a dump truck incident that occurred on Monday, December 3.
 
The man survived after somehow being collected with waste during a cleanup last week and then dumped into a pile of garbage at a transfer station.
 
At about 9 a.m., employees at the Sun Street Transfer Station were using a wheel loader to push trash when they perceived something moving in the piles, according to Cesar Zuñiga, operations manager with the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority. The workers backed up, looked at the trash and realized it was a person. They called over the radio and temporarily stopped operations.
 
Upon closer inspection, the person was sitting waist-deep in the trash.
 
The homeless person,  a man who appeared to be in his late 50s or early 60s, seemed confused, Zuñiga stated. The man didn’t speak a word and had a little bit of dried blood on his arm. He was able to walk on his own just after being found.
 
Paramedics rushed the man to a hospital. The incident shocked the employees.
 
A truck that was pulling a dump truck trailer brought in the load with the man and left earlier.
 
According to City Attorney Chris Callihan, the man had climbed into the back of an 8-foot-tall truck to recover his belongings that had been collected in the clean-up. The city has been implementing routine cleanups in the community’s Chinatown area for several years now.
 
Staff said that they had seen many people climb in and out of the truck to get their items, but no one noticed this particular man get in.
 
Callihan stated that there was a rumor being propagated that the man was picked up by a city tractor, but said that did not happen.
 
When behind the wheel, always pay attention to your surroundings and look out for other motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. By driving safely and abiding by all driving laws, dangerous accidents can be prevented.

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