Homeless man crushed to death in bin truck

November 26, 2009

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A digger at the rubbish tip in Ardwick where the body of a 31-year-old homeless man was found

A HOMELESS man died after a bin he was sleeping in to keep warm was emptied into a refuse truck.

The man suffocated under the debris inside the vehicle and his body was only found when the contents were emptied at a rubbish tip.

The vehicle automatically crushes the contents of bins once inside it.

Police were alerted after the man's body was found at a tipping site in Ardwick, Manchester, yesterday morning.

The man had been sleeping in a large bin used by businesses like restaurants.

A Home Office post-mortem has revealed the 31-year-old man died as a result of asphyxiation.

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and the coroner has been informed.

Warmer

Det Supt Julian Ross said: “As a result of our inquiries, it would appear this man was homeless and climbed into the bin to escape the bad weather and find somewhere warmer and dryer to sleep.

"We don't know if he was suffering from hypothermia as a result of the cold but it would appear he was unable to alert those moving the bin that he was inside. As a result they were unaware of the tragic circumstances until they were informed by the police.

"This was a tragic accident and those involved are very upset that this man has died in this way.

"At this time of year when the weather is particularly cold, there will be a temptation for people who are homeless to seek refuge and find somewhere warm to sleep.

Tragic

"Sadly, as in this case, sleeping in a bin can lead to this sort of tragic accident and someone losing their life, I would strongly urge those unfortunate people who find themselves without a bed at night to remember what happened to this man and try and find somewhere safer to sleep."

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Straight to the point, Westhoughton (26/11/2009 at 13:50)

I find it hard to accept that in this day and age this poor unfortunate individual was forced to sleep in a bin. What a sad and tragic story.

Chris R, Irlam (26/11/2009 at 14:25)

A similar story to this was on '1000 ways to die' on Bravo last weekend, but involving a burglar hiding from the police rather than a homeless individual.

Tragic all the same.

Angelene19, Manchester (26/11/2009 at 14:53)

Terribly sad and is hard to accept anyone has to live this way. Nevertheless, this young man was somebody's son. It's very upsetting to think of such a young man dying an awful death like this.

garfield (26/11/2009 at 15:36)

this is a terrible way to die, he is someones brother, dad, family member or friend at the end of the day, RIP

Englisc Stannes, North Manchester (26/11/2009 at 15:45)

Surely Manchester has a policy for homeless people as a duty of care to secure beds. In this day and age. Or this showing a small increase in homelessness. Come on council pull your finger out in the spirit of christmas.

blue nose 123, Manchester (26/11/2009 at 16:02)

What a very sad stor, wish the council would sort the homeless situation out so cases like this wouldnt exist

Ran Droid, Manchester (26/11/2009 at 16:21)

Can someone explain to me how, given the vast amounts the taxpayer pouts into the UK's coffers, we have no place for some homeless?

There is something sadly wrong when we're happy to fund people like Sara Foss, about to be a mother for a 14th time and costing the taxpayer some £50k annually, yet people like this poor soul feel the need to sleep in bins.

blackandblue, whalleyrange via stretford,chorlton and heywood (26/11/2009 at 16:26)

This is why i'll be giving up my free time over Christmas to volunteer at The Lifeshare Christmas Project!! A marvellous charity that provides meals and a warm place for the city's many homeless!! all donations welcome!!!

Your havin a laugh, Tameside (26/11/2009 at 17:53)

Why is it we can house half of Europe, but not the few poor unfortunate homeless folk? Most are homeless through no fault of their own. Will things ever change? i doubt it.

petitevamp, bolton (26/11/2009 at 18:24)

The way this government is going and the banks there will be a lot more. No jobs to go around and people losing their houses and you tell them this and they say tough basically we are not helping you to pay for your rent etc! It is so easy to get into debt when you lose your job through no fault of your own, so until you have been there you have no idea.

neil youngs left foot (26/11/2009 at 18:24)

You would think the binmen would check inside the bin first.So sad in this day and age that he had to shelter in one of these bins anyway.

Careless Whisper (26/11/2009 at 18:25)

Manchester 2009: Not only a tragedy that we still have homeless people on our streets- but it is even more shocking that they are getting crushed to death in bin trucks. They constantly get moved on from sleeping in shop doorways etc only to resort to sleeping in bins. One death is one too many- but Manchester Council needs to tackle the homeless issue rapid. R.I.P. Poor man.

rlfan, greater manchester (26/11/2009 at 19:07)

Just like to say when i worked on the bins/skip wagon in the city centre the driver who trained me up always told me & made a point of checking every time you empty/remove a skip/bin for this exact incident . i have removed skips & returned to find a homeless person getting shelter, they gladly move so you can go about your business.Thoughts to the poor driver & the street gents family & friends

Bigmouth strikes again, Manchester (26/11/2009 at 19:10)

I've just found out parents get £40 a month for having a kid! Someone i work with gets it for her little girl, even though her and her partner earn £50,000 a year combined. Surely people sleeping rough is more of an issue and deserves that money more than a family who has two people working, owns two cars, has two holidays abroad and has sky hd multi room on a 60" flat screen tv!!!!

Rick Jenks, Bury (26/11/2009 at 19:11)

Tragic. All dustmen should be issued with instrutions to check these large bins.

Piccadilly Dog, Beswick (26/11/2009 at 21:23)

Disgraceful, MCC should hang their heads in shame. Thousands of empty flats/houses, some publicly owned, while people sleep and beg in the (filthy) streets. Come on, where is the Cllr. Pat Karney 'quote', eh?

wat eva xx, were eva xx (26/11/2009 at 22:09)

aww r.i.p you would think some thing would be done about homeless people ie sheltered accomadation very sad story, and to think most of us are sat here in warmth some of us just dont know how lucky we are

Rivvyrover, Horwich (26/11/2009 at 22:55)

I was on the streets for 4 years in Horwich, then along came a good Samaritan, he gave me a room and got me a job at the Post Office, we've been together ever since thankfully.

RIP drifter.

Billy Meredith's toothpick, leafy Cheadle (26/11/2009 at 23:01)

Just wait til the Tories get in. this is how half of us in the north will be living. Seriously though this is extremely upsetting and should remind everyone that the homeless, whether you think they waste money on drink or drugs or not, are still very much human and are deserving of charity. perhaps give one a donation tomorrow in memory of this poor man.

Perth Oz Blue (26/11/2009 at 23:15)

I agree completely with Garfield, this is so very sad. May he Rest In Peace now.

sugar n spice, manchester (27/11/2009 at 00:32)

i feel so sorry for this poor man having to find shelter in a bin to keep warm on these freezing cold nights. this should not be happening to anyone in this day and age.there should be shelter provided for these poor unfortunates.the council should make sure that there are places for them to go.afterall manchester council can find money for many things that are not as needed as this. how can we afford to let people come from other countries and be housed here when we have people living outdoors in this terrible weather its mind boggling.

jonathanMCFC, Manchester (27/11/2009 at 08:18)

I wish people would stop blaming Manchester Council regarding this tragedy, This young homeless man was rough sleeping in Stockport. Manchester Council provide no homeless services in Stockport, however Stockport Council do. The Wellspring in Stockport is the only Homeless charity in Stockport and the only service in Stockport that is dedicated to Homelessness. Over the last few years The Wellspring has supported over 600 rough sleepers off the streets and into accommodation, including numerous people who had been sleeping in bins. For more information about The Wellspring or to make a real difference to rough sleepers in Stockport please visit www.thewellspring.co.uk

Mad Welsh Scotsman, Cadishead (27/11/2009 at 08:19)

Why is it that people can come into the country and be given houses and everything they don't have rights to but someone can be homeless from this country, the next government had better get their priorities right because this one sure hasn't

gillykins, urmston (27/11/2009 at 08:36)

I was watching a tv programme ages ago and saw a hotel the japanese had. It was basically beds in a block - no strings, no fuss, just somewhere to sleep. Surely with all the unused buildings about the country, a council could kit out one of these buildings with beds for homeless people to sleep and shelter in the night. In these days of giving up money for different charities - the homeless always seem to be left out. Such a shame and what a tragic story. x

Perth Oz Blue (27/11/2009 at 09:31)

I hope this poor man is resting in peace now after such a horrible end to his poor life.

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