Man's trip to garbage chute turns into nightmare
VANCOUVER, Wash. – A 74-year-old man went to take out the garbage Sunday and ended up stuck head-first in a high-rise garbage chute.
It happened on the tenth floor of the Smith tower in downtown Vancouver.
The man told rescuers he was trying to reach in and pull out a piece of cardboard that had become stuck in the chute when he became stuck himself. His wife first grabbed him by the ankles but then went to get help after it appeared he was wedged in.
"You wouldn't think a person could fit in that small of a hole, but once he - his pants came down and he started slipping - it wouldn't have been a good sight," said Capt. Jason Ingram of the Vancouver Fire Department.
Standing on boxes in the cramped garbage chute room, firefighters eventually pulled the man backward out of the chute. He suffered cuts and bruises but his pride was hurt the most.
His identity has not been released.
Neighbor Armour Bolen said garbage is always getting stuck in the chute and the man was "making a valiant effort" to fix the problem.
"He was just trying to do a job, and it didn't work out," Bolen said.
