A 52-year-old Penticton man experiencing homelessness received life-threatening injuries after being crushed inside the compactor of a large recycling collection truck.

Penticton RCMP are currently investigating the events that took place on April 5.

At 6:05 a.m., RCMP was alerted about someone trapped in the back of a recycling truck while it was collecting recycling materials from dumpsters in the downtown core of Penticton.

The driver of the truck contacted 911 after he heard someone yelling from the back of his truck.

Police arrived a short time later and determined that a 52-year-old man appeared to have been sleeping in an unlocked recycling dumpster and the truck picked up the dumpster, dumped it into the back of the large truck and mechanically compacted the load inadvertently crushing him in the process, said police.

Emergency crews attended and were able to extract the victim and take him hospital.

He is suffering from life-threatening injuries.

“The Penticton RCMP are continuing to investigate this tragic event,” said Staff Sgt. Bob Vatamaniuck.

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