Pennsylvania

Man Asleep in Dumpster Dies After Being Crushed in Pennsylvania Trash Truck

A homeless man sleeping in a dumpster died after being tossed into the back of a trash truck and crushed in the Lehigh Valley early Friday.

The 53-year-old man screamed for help after being tossed into the truck after it made a pickup at Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania shortly before 6 a.m., said city police.

Rescuers found the man screaming — his arm sticking out a pile of trash — and were able to get to him. Medics rushed him to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest where he later died, police Capt. Bill Reinik told NBC10.

The Lehigh County Coroner's Office later ruled the man died of accidental "massive crushing injuries."

Police said the truck driver was unaware the man was in the dumpster. The compactor in the truck activated and crushed the man, said police.

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