Alert FL Garbage Truck Driver Averts Tragedy, Calls 911

Dec. 22, 2022
Tampa firefighters said the victim was likely sleeping in a dumpster and tossed into the truck.

An alert Tampa garbage truck driver averted a tragedy Wednesday morning when he noticed something amiss while on his regular duty.

He spotted something moving when he looked at the truck's camera after emptying a dumpster, according to FOX13.

It was a man, who likely crawled into the dumpster to sleep.

The driver quickly called 911, and Tampa Fire Rescue crews responded.

Several firefighters got into the back of the rig and secured him to a board and Stokes basket. He was gingerly hoisted out of the rig by a crew operating a ladder truck.

"During the holidays, these transient patients are trying to find warmth," explained Capt. Henry Williams with Tampa Fire Rescue. "Everything came into play just as it needed to be. We had an alert driver who absolutely avoided catastrophe."