IamA survivor of a trash compactor accident. AMA!

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I climbed into the dumpster looking for something and it was really dark. I had only the light from the streetlamps to guide me. As I was looking through the trash for the keys I'd lost, a large truck pulled up. I was inside a large dumpster and behind a fence so I was unable to see anything but the headlights through the slats. I couldn't tell it was a trash truck. I started hearing a noise and realized then it was a trash truck. I couldn't get out in time and somehow managed to smash my head on the side of the dumpster and was thrown inside the back of the trash truck with an open bed. I remember a lot of trash falling on top of me and I scrambled to get back on my feet. I knew I was in deep shit. I tried to find a way to climb out of the truck but the sides were up too high. I tried climbing on the cab but couldn't pull myself up. I was pounding on the roof of the cab but it was so loud the driver couldn't hear me. I heard the compactor moving closer and closer and just knew I was going to die in a matter of moments. Then the compactor started pushing my back and began crushing me into the truck bed. I was still standing at this point. The pain was absolutely the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. As it was crushing me, I began to black out. Just when I thought, "I'm going to die. I'm going to die" the compactor moved back toward the back of the truck. At that moment my adrenaline kicked in and I knew I had to get out or I was surely going to die. My body couldn't take a second crushing. I was unaware that I had a concussion, that I had broken several ribs, that my right leg had been crushed and that my collar bone was broken. I began to get in survival mode and somehow managed to reach up over my head about 3 feet looking up and pulled myself up over the top of the truck and fell 15 feet to the asphalt. By this time the driver saw me fall to the ground. He said, "You're bleeding, you're bleeding!" I tried to get up and walk and couldn't walk straight. Then I fell on the asphalt and passed out. I woke up in the hospital in the trauma unit.

How did your keys get into the dumpster?

I accidentally had thrown them in with the trash.

Did you get them back?

To alleviate the suspense, she mentions later down that she didn't find the keys.

Edit: gender

Actually I'm female. :D

Whoop, my bad. Sorry there

Oh no worries.

Did you ever find your keys?

No.

Dang. Sorry to hear that.

Oh well. I survived and that's all that matters. :)

Amazing what the human body can go through when the adrenaline kicks in.

True. I think that's the only reason I was able to pull myself up over the top of the truck and get out with broken bones.

I'm sure you know that you were extremely lucky in your situation but not everyone is. This happened where I live earlier this year. http://www.kristv.com/news/woman-found-in-dumpster-death-ruled-accidental/

That poor woman.

did u purchase a pull up bar?

Maybe I should, eh? There's no way I could pull myself up like I did getting over the top of the truck again. I have no idea how I did it. It was really weird. I remember it was sort of surreal and I just sailed over the top and fell to the asphalt, landed on my feet.

Have you read The Survivor's Club?

No I haven't. Will definitely have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation.

That's a crazy story, I can't imagine anything more terrifying than that. Do you think you have PTSD or anything from the experience? Maybe get freaked out whenever you see a dumpster?

That's a crazy story, I can't imagine anything more terrifying than that. Do you think you have PTSD or anything from the experience? Maybe get freaked out whenever you see a dumpster?

No PTSD strangely enough. No freaking out when I see a dumpster even when I go past the place where it happened.

Thanks for sharing your story. I kicked a contractor off my worksite this week for going into a trash compactor to free up a jam without locking the machine out first. A big no-no. For the next person who tells me I was too harsh I'm going to show them your post.

Good idea. You did the right thing.

do you know why it stopped?

Probably from all the trash the compactor can only squeeze so tight. Op was lucky he probably wasn't the 1st stop.

Exactly!

Yes I know why it stopped because it was finished compacting.

Did you learn anything from this close call?

Yes. Don't climb in a dumpster no matter what. Lol

How'd you manage to fend off the dianoga?

I knew someone was going to bring up the Star Wars compactor incident.

Thanks for doing this AMA.

After the incident what types of physical therapy did you have to go through and how long was it before you were able to resume working? Did it happen in the states or are you in Canada or somewhere else? If you were in the States how much was the final bill for your treatment and was it covered by insurance?

Well like I had answered in somebody else's question I didn't get to go through physical therapy for 5 years after the accident because I had no health insurance. So the only physical therapy I had was trying to get my positional vertigo to go away but that didn't really work because I got frustrated with it and I just remained dizzy. I started working 3 months after the accident and I was in really bad pain. I still have trouble sitting straight up in a chair at a desk and I really can't do it much. Yes it happened here in the States. The final bill was around $23,000 . Since I was already pretty poor there was no way I could pay the bills.

What ever happened with the bill?

If it were me, I would let it hit my credit, and wait the 10 or whatever years until its written off. At least you're alive.

I never had any medical bills show up on my credit reports. No idea why. I wasn't worried.

• How long is the recovery?
• Did the company cover all the medical cost?
• Did you develop any phobia ever since this incident?

• How long is the recovery?
• Did the company cover all the medical cost?
• Did you develop any phobia ever since this incident?

Recovery is over. Accident took place in late 2005. I think I'm as well as I'm going to get. It took me a good six months to start feeling halfway normal again. The company did not cover any costs. It was all my fault. Plus if they had I'm assuming that that would have set them up for a lawsuit as if they were admitting fault. Amazingly no phobias but when I hear a trash truck I'm reminded of it sometimes. I don't have nightmares from it and don't know why.

I just read through the whole story of what happened, and 1) you are a badass, and 2) thank you so much for not suing them. There are tons of people who would jump on that opportunity and unfortunately probably win.

Glad youre alive, cheers.

Thanks! I appreciate your nice words.

Did you have any kind of "life flashing before your eyes" moment? Or anything similar?

Not really. Just the everything going black experience. No white lights or anything like that either. I just remember before almost completely blacking out thinking "I'm going to die. I'm going to die."

How was the recovery? Do you have any long lasting effects? Wish you all the best

Yes I do and thanks for the kind sentiments. It took me months to recover from the concussion and broken ribs. The collarbone healed faster. Was in bed for over a month and it was very painful to get up out of bed. Once I was able to get out of bed I used a wheelchair. I still have positional vertigo from the concussion. My back muscles were crushed and still have probs with the muscles getting too tight. My right leg has a permanent hematoma (small one) so standing for long periods can cause discomfort..

vertigo is the worst. I suffer from episodes about 6-8 times a year. Such an awful feeling.

It either happens if I turn my head to the right or when I get out of bed. Sometimes just moving a certain way causes it but not too often. I'm lucky. Could have been worse. I'm sorry to hear you're suffering from it. Hope it gets better.

workout heals everything, an easy, light workout would help you a lot. it did for me and now im going heavy.

I started riding my bike and walking again this past August. It's helping me feel better. Glad to hear the workouts are helping you.

My condolences on the positional vertigo! I had it as a complication from getting vestibular neuritis, it's really awful. The nausea it gave me was the worst, I hope you don't get it as bad.

Here's a link if anyone wants to know more about "benign paroxysmal positional vertigo": http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/bppv/bppv.html

Not sure if my advice will help at all, but I finally got rid of my vertigo after trying the Semont maneuver for weeks until it worked. It's a sequence of somewhat brisk head positionings to get the debris that was causing the vertigo into an inner ear canal where it wouldn't do any harm. Have you tried that yet, OP? Doing the movements is quite difficult because the positioning causes vertigo as well, and you have to be somewhat careful not to injure your neck muscles. I had weak neck muscles from a prior car accident involving whiplash, and afterwards had neck pain for months.

I did and had physical therapy but I got frustrated with it and didn't continue. From the time of the accident until 5 years later I had no health insurance so once I started trying to get treatment for my injuries I think it was actually too late. Never got treatment for my concussion or anything else. When I left the hospital (they kicked me out-was in a wheelchair leaving and the nurse was pushing me - she said, "this is not right. They shouldn't be doing this.") I was puking up blood in the car because every time I moved my head was spinning so badly. When my friend got me back to the house I passed out again and went unconscious. I woke up with fireman inside my house and the EMT people came and took me back to the hospital. They put me in a wheelchair in the hospital and then pushed me out into the waiting room where I went unconscious again. I woke up my friend said, a couple of hours later and asked how long I've been waiting in the waiting room and they said it was 2 hours. Finally my friend got really pissed off and jumped up and started getting angry at the nurses station and told them what had happened. They finally pulled me back to the back of the ER. I could barely keep my eyes open. They sent me home with 12 Darvocet (pain med) and that's all the medication I got for my excruciating pain. On a scale of 1 to 10 it was a 20. Worst pain ever. The hospital discharged me 9 hours after the first time I was taken. They did it because I had no insurance.

This is not how 1st world medical system should work. Awful and embarrassing for us as a country.

Very true my experience of being treated like shit by that supposed Christian hospital still baffles me today. I think they sent me home to die.

This is absolutely fucking disgusting. People can shit on healthcare policies and argue all day long, but this shouldn't be something anyone has to go through.

Society needs to progress together, that's what sets us apart from animals.

I am very sorry OP. Maybe a secret millionaire will see this.

Thank you. It is disgusting and I get frustrated when someone tells me we have the greatest health care system in the world. If they only knew what I went through maybe they wouldn't think so.

This shit is making me so fucking angry.

What the fuck america

Please don't be angry if you can help it. Lots of people have it much worse than what I went through. If you saw me today you'd have no idea that I got crushed.

That's fucking terrible, that they'd just send someone in such a state back home. It's scary to even think about it. That could be me one day, although I have insurance but it's crappy insurance that barely covers anything. It could happen to any of us who aren't loaded. It really is scary. I'm so glad you're doing well, op.

Thanks so much. Sorry to hear of your health insurance situation. Hope it gets better for you.

Try easy yoga to speed your recovery!

Great suggestion but I can't sit on the floor for long. It becomes too painful. Yoga did become a consideration though.

Did you use a com-link to tell R2 and 3P0 to shut it off? Was there a tentacle monster involved?

Edit: In all seriousness, I'm happy you are okay. Thanks for being willing to share the story, and I wish you the best.

What a wonderful new smell you have discovered

Yep. I stunk for a few days as I couldn't move well enough to take a bath.

Holy cow, OP! That sounds terrifying! I'm so glad you survived and hope you make a full recovery. Did anyone from the garbage company check on you while in the hospital? Did anyone do anything rude like suggest legal action either against the company or against yourself?

Holy cow, OP! That sounds terrifying! I'm so glad you survived and hope you make a full recovery. Did anyone from the garbage company check on you while in the hospital? Did anyone do anything rude like suggest legal action either against the company or against yourself?

No the guy who found me didn't come to the hospital but I was told he was really concerned about me. Poor guy. Can't imagine how it felt to be him in that situation. No one suggested legal action against me. Maybe they thought I'd been through enough.

Did the driver ever come to visit you while you were in bed?

No.

Are you the reason the trash compactor door at my work has a "Do not enter" sign on it?

Absolutely.

God damn. How has your outlook on life changed since the incident?

Excellent question. I would say no it hasn't. I used to be somewhat religious before the accident but after the accident about 6 months later I became an atheist but it wasn't because of the accident it was because of a book I had read about history in the Mesopotamian era. I wasn't angry at God because by that time I didn't believe in one but it did not have anything at all to do with my accident.

Oh my gosh...this would probably be all my worst fears combined...

I hate confined spaces and bad smells...

My questions are...did the key ever get found?

What would you do/say to prevent an accident like this from happening to someone else?

Oh my gosh...this would probably be all my worst fears combined...

I hate confined spaces and bad smells...

My questions are...did the key ever get found?

What would you do/say to prevent an accident like this from happening to someone else?

I did not like confined spaces either now. Keys were not found. I did lose most of the hearing in my left ear because of my concussion. I'd say to anyone dumpster diving to never go into one no matter what.

You mentioned in another answer that you knew you were going to die. How did that feel?

Did you accept it, or was it your refusal to die that got you out?

Wow. Good question. When I thought I was going to die, I was just in disbelief. As for refusing to die, I'm just not sure. I think the whole survival mode kicks in for a lot of people and it's just natural to try and save yourself.

I was going to ask if you get Star Wars jokes often, but I think the comments here answered my question.

So, how often do you get them?

I do hear Star Wars jokes but honestly I don't get them. I am not really a Star Wars fan. Someone had to explain the Star Wars thing to me.

how could u not like star wars?

I get asked that sometimes. I saw the first movie. It just didn't interest me to the point where I wanted to see any more of the episodes.

Is the accident something you find yourself thinking/talking about a lot/at all, or do you try to keep it off your mind most of the time?

Is the accident something you find yourself thinking/talking about a lot/at all, or do you try to keep it off your mind most of the time?

No I don't talk about it much. I'd say I think about it sometimes and it changed my life and health for certain but I try not to be hard on myself about it because it happened, I survived it and I do not let it define me.

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Lol yep!

Have the bills been dealt with? This could happen to anyone I certainly am happy you're still around.

How has your community responded? I know that they visited you often in the hospital.

I owe quite a bit to hospitals after mental health issues. It's difficult. I wish you only the best.

Well I never paid the bills. I had to fill out paperwork for financial purposes that basically gets your bills written off. My friends responded very well to what happened. They came to my house a lot and helped out with bills and groceries. There was even a music benefit held about a month later. Thanks for your best wishes and whatever you do, remember your health comes first before anything and anyone else. You can get financial assistance/file for indigency if you have to. It is difficult. I wish you the best as well.

How do you feel about hugs now?

Ha! They're great. Still love 'em.

What was it like escaping from Vader with Han Solo is he has cool in person as he seems?

He's really cool except for his chronic halitosis.

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No don't plan on it. One crushing episode was enough for me. I also used to dumpster dive. Not so much anymore.

Do you think that you have a chance at the Darwin award?

ha ha!

Were you covered by insurance for your injuries and lost wages?

No. It didn't happen on the job. I had no health insurance. It was a nightmare dealing with that aspect.

Why would he be? If you are hiding in a box that has "Don't climb inside" stickers all over it, and is purposely designed to hold and compact garbage, and you get hurt by the machine doing it's job....it's kinda your own fault.

Why would he be? If you are hiding in a box that has "Don't climb inside" stickers all over it, and is purposely designed to hold and compact garbage, and you get hurt by the machine doing it's job....it's kinda your own fault.

I wasn't hiding in a trash compactor box. I was inside a dumpster and got thrown into a garbage truck and got crushed that way.

Do you have a crush on anyone?

Yes.

Holy shit.. How are you not flat and dead?

I have no idea. Just luck and adrenaline I guess.

What were you looking for?

Keys.

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No. They owed me nothing it was my fault.

What is the square root of Pi?

Lol I'd have to google that.