By Dennis Romero—
NBC News
A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after being rescued from a garbage truck in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Monday, authorities said.
The woman, whose identity has not been released, is believed to have been inside a trash container that was emptied into the truck's cargo can as it made its daily route, the Manchester Fire Department said in a statement.
The woman was trapped in garbage while it was compacted four times in the back of the van, although it is not entirely clear if that was the cause of her injuries.
“They threw it (in the trash) at some point,” Fire Chief Ryan J. Cashin said in an interview at the scene.
What it was doing in the container remains a mystery.
Cashin said a city worker saw the woman in the back of the truck through the vehicle's video system, which has at least one camera focused inside that space.
The woman was standing and
screaming for help
before firefighters arrived, according to the release.
The authorities finally managed to get her out, using a rescue basket tied to a truck that was lowered to where the woman was.
She was then taken to a trauma center, firefighters added.
Her condition was unclear and representatives from Elliot Hospital did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“I've never seen anything like it,” Cashin said.