Anyone who has seen Star Wars may have a fear of being crushed to death in a trash compactor. For one woman in Southborough, Massachusetts, that fear came dangerously close to becoming a gruesome reality.
The Southborough Fire Department reports that serious injuries were avoided in an incident involving a Subaru Forester last week. After an unusual series of events, the car wound up in the municipal trash compactor.
While the details of the accident remain somewhat unclear, employees told WHDH that the incident occurred at around 1:40 p.m. on October 19, and that the vehicle in question jumped over a large curb, and went through a chain before it fell into the compactor.
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Photos released by the fire department show that the chain wasn’t particularly large, though. Moreover, parking lines appear to be visible behind the SUV, which suggests that this may have been an unfortunate case of pedal (or maybe even gear) confusion, as the driver entered or exited the spot.
Whatever the case, the incident must have been pretty startling. Reports indicate that the accident was intense enough to set off the airbags. Workers say they didn’t hesitate to jump in after the car, in order to help the driver out.
Fortunately, none of the workers were hurt while attempting to help the driver. Although she was taken to hospital after the incident, the fire department reports that she suffered only minor injuries. As to why she was there, Southborough resident Jeff Chan told WHDH that residents often go there to throw out their garbage.
“There’s no municipal town pickup of trash, so a lot of people do come here to drop off their trash,” said Chan, adding that he was glad to hear that the driver was okay, and saying “that’s the most important part.”
