Teen compacted in Wis. garbage truck survives

[November 06, 2008]  MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Police in Milwaukee say a teenage boy has survived after being accidentally dumped into the back of a recycling truck and compacted.

Police say the 14-year-old ran away from a boot camp-style school for teens Monday and hid in a recycling bin filled with cardboard.

The bin was picked up by a Waste Management truck and dumped into the vehicle's rear compactor.

Waste Management spokeswoman Lynn Morgan says the truck continued on its collection route, compacting cardboard several times.

The boy wasn't discovered until the truck dumped its load at a recycling processing center.

He was semiconscious and was taken to a hospital, but police say his injuries aren't life-threatening.

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Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com/

[Associated Press]

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