Woman sleeping in dumpster picked up by garbage truck

Florence, Ky. -- A woman was rescued Friday morning from inside a garbage truck in northern Kentucky. Tossed in with the trash--she could have been hurt or killed.

The woman was found inside the garbage truck after the trash had been collected. She was curled up in the dumpster to stay dry and warm overnight when she was tossed over the top and into the trash.

Lucky for her, the driver was early on his route, so he did not need to use the compactor yet.

The driver had to get out of his truck to open a gate to get to the next dumpster. That's when he heard the woman screaming for help.

"I heard her yelling when I was opening the gates," the driver said. "And I got up here, she's standing up in the hopper."

Representatives for company, Rumpke Sanitary Landfill, are thanking Florence responders for getting the woman out safely.

"We're very thankful that the woman is unhurt and we are making arrangements for her to find some of her belongings that are also in the truck at this time," said Bill Cole, Rumpke Regional Safety Manager.

The company took the woman back to its facility so they could dump the truck and find her purse.