Missouri Firefighters Free Man From Trash Compactor

Firefighters were able to free a man trapped in a trash truck's compactor on Thursday morning.

Authorities were called to a restaurant near Highway 40 and Noland Road at about 7:35 a.m.

KMBC's Jere Gish reported that the man was sleeping in a trash bin when it was dumped into a Deffenbaugh trash truck. The trash truck driver had driven around the end of the building when he heard the man screaming.

"The individual who was working the Deffenbaugh vehicle did a good job of hearing the screams and stopping -- not just hearing it, but reacting to it," battalion chief Joe Vitale said.

The driver stopped the compactor immediately and called for help.

Fire crews were able to pull the man out.

"There was a file cabinet that (the compactor) caught first, and was up against him. So that was the first portion that made contact with him," Vitale said.

The man is reported in critical condition. Gish reported that the man also suffered injuries to his legs.