New low for SF homeless problem as man’s screams from inside garbage truck spark frantic rescue effort

San Francisco’s homeless problem has hit a depressing new low.

A homeless man searching for food in a dumpster became trapped inside a garbage truck after it emptied the bin with him inside early Wednesday, officials said. His screams alerted bystanders, who called for help and sparked an urgent rescue effort.

San Francisco first responders were dispatched to the scene in the 100 block of Mason Street, near Union Square, around 4:11 a.m.

More than two dozen firefighters sifted through the disgusting trash. One firefighter suffered a cut to his hand before locating the disheveled man. Heroic paramedics managed to treat the man while he was covered in garbage, somehow administering medication through an IV for his injuries while he was stuck.

The driver had used the truck’s compactor as the man was inside, causing potential injuries.

After two hours, first responders were able to pull the man out and place him on a gurney. The man was conscious and breathing and was transported to the hospital. The extent of his injuries is unclear.

Firefighters plan to interview the man at the hospital, according to Fox 2.

The garbage truck belonged to Recology, a waste management company that serves San Francisco and other major cities on the West Coast.

Recology said the driver was operating a front-loading truck that retrieves garbage from large bins along a route for commercial customers, according to The SF Standard. He was the only employee on the truck, Recology spokesperson Robert Reed said.

Reed called the incident “pretty unusual.” He said it was the first time in 15 years that a person was rescued from a Recology truck by city firefighters.

A spokesperson for first responders on scene said such incidents happen across the country on occasion.

“These do happen around the country from time to time. There are people who happen to go into dumpsters looking for food or any items they can get and this is one of those instances here,” he said.

The incident remains under investigation.

San Francisco is known for having one of the most polarizing homeless problems in the nation.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie recently launched a reset of the city’s costly homelessness response system, transitioning around $500 million in annual funds to an “outcomes-based” model that ties funding to an organization’s success in actually helping homeless people and residents at large.

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