Young man dies after being crushed inside waste bin while fleeing police in Cartagena

A young man lost his life during the early hours of yesterday morning, Monday 31st August, in Cartagena after hiding inside a rubbish bin to evade the police. The bin was subsequently emptied into a collection vehicle, where he became trapped and was crushed by the compaction system.

According to sources close to the case, the victim was being sought by officers after allegedly being involved in a robbery, which reportedly involved violence. Under circumstances that remain to be clarified by the ongoing investigation, the man climbed into a bin on Calle Carlos III in an attempt to hide from the police.

Shortly afterwards, a waste collection truck arrived at the scene as part of its routine route. The driver, unaware that anyone was inside the bin, lifted and emptied its contents into the vehicle’s hopper.

Upon being alerted to what had occurred, the worker immediately halted the machinery. However, according to the same sources, the victim had already died as a result of the pressure exerted by the truck’s compaction system.

Emergency medical services, officers from the National Police and Local Police of Cartagena, and judicial authorities attended the scene, along with the forensic service to carry out the removal of the body. Firefighters were also required to extract the victim’s body from inside the vehicle.

Medical services additionally treated the driver of the refuse collection truck, who suffered an anxiety attack after learning what had happened.