PHOENIX – A sanitation worker in Phoenix was crushed to death Monday in the compactor of his garbage truck.
Phoenix Fire Department Capt. Courtney Jenkins said firefighters found the man while responding to a call that someone might have been screaming in the back of the truck.
Phoenix police identified the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, as 60-year-old Robert Amaral.
Authorities said Amaral was trying to fix a problem with the machinery and somehow got caught in the equipment. They believe he was alone at the time.
Police are treating the incident as an accidental death investigation.
Darin Perkins, director of the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health, said the truck belonged to a private contractor.
Perkins said his agency was investigating the cause and whether any violations of safety standards may have led to the accident.