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Woman survives after becoming trapped in garbage truck compactor

Fire officials said they were still unclear how the incident in Manchester, New Hampshire, occurred

Mike Bedigan
Tuesday 30 January 2024 23:57 GMT
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New Hampshire woman survives being compacted by garbage truck

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A woman in New Hampshire miraculously survived after falling into a garbage truck and being compacted several times along with the neighbourhood trash.

Fire officials said they were still unclear how the incident in Manchester, New Hampshire, occurred.

According to Boston 25 News, it is believed the woman – a 60-year-old resident – was thrown from a dumpster into the truck on Beech Hill Drive on Monday afternoon.

The garbage was reportedly compacted up to four times before the driver noticed the woman through a camera in a truck. Neighbours reported hearing frantic screaming coming inside from the vehicle.

Matthew and Amanda Czzowitz, said that the unnamed woman sounded like she was “in agony”.

“We realised someone was actually in the truck in the compactor because we could hear screaming,” Mr Czzowitz told Boston 25.

Firefighters later used a basket pulled by the fire truck crane to carefully hoist the woman to safety
Firefighters later used a basket pulled by the fire truck crane to carefully hoist the woman to safety (Boston 25 News)

“My kids are home from school, and they’re watching. I was like, girls, once you see her come out, I don’t want you watching.”

Ms Czzowitz added: “All you heard was screaming… She was in agony.”

Firefighters later used a basket pulled by the fire truck crane to carefully hoist the woman to safety.

She told firefighters through a side access panel of the truck that she somehow fell into a dumpster while tossing the trash, but was not alert enough to answer further questions, Boston 25 reported.

The woman was transported to Elliot Hospital, in Manchester, in serious condition.

An investigation into how the incident occurred is ongoing. It is unclear how long the woman had been in the dumpster for before she was thrown into the garbage truck.

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