LITTLE is known about a man tipped into the back of a garbage truck at Rye last week, but Mornington Peninsula Shire staff do not believe he is homeless.
The 21-year-old who appeared to have been asleep inside a green 240-litre bin can thank an alert garbage truck driver for his quick thinking, Monday 29 June.
The driver hit the emergency stop button when he saw on his CCTV monitor what appeared to be a man falling out of the bin into the garbage compactor in Tarawill Street, 8am.
The mayor Cr Sam Hearn said later: “We are grateful the individual is OK and thankful a tragedy was averted in this instance.
“The driver of the truck immediately hit the emergency stop button when he became aware of the person which prevented further injury. We thank him for his quick thinking.
“The contract driver is being supported by us and his employer and we wish the injured gentleman a speedy recovery.”
The garage truck driver is said to be okay and “being supported by his employer”.
CFA crews from Sorrento, Rye, Rosebud and Dromana and Sorrento SES attended the incident. The man was airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with “serious but stable injuries”.
First published in the Frankston Times – 6 July 2020
