Overview
- The front loader at Recology's 501 Tunnel Ave. facility went over the pit edge Sunday around 11:45 a.m., dropping about 30 feet and injuring the driver.
- The setup at recycling plants includes deep sorting pits where heavy loaders maneuver close to drop-offs, which can create severe fall risks.
- Firefighters developed a rescue plan, immobilized the operator on a backboard, and guided him up a ladder from the toppled machine.
- A department video shows eight crew members moving the patient out in a slow, coordinated lift.
- The worker was taken to a hospital with unspecified injuries, and officials reported no cause or further condition update beyond that he was talking on the way.