A Tampa sanitation worker's attention to detail has saved the life of a 7-year-old little boy.
It all started when Elias Quezada was playing outside his grandmother's home. The little boy thought it would be a fun idea to hide inside one of the trash cans outside the house. What he couldn't have known was that it was garbage day for his grandma's community.
Next thing Elias knew, the garbage truck had scooped up the trash can. The little boy found himself just seconds from a seriously dangerous situation when the worker manning the truck, Waldo Fidele, saved the day.
A little boy in Florida experienced the scare of his life after playing in an outdoor garbage can. Elias Quezada was at his grandmother's Tampa home on President's Day when he decided to go outside to play. The 7-year-old boy decided to hide in one of his grandma's outdoor trash cans.
Just a few minutes later, the garbage truck came down the street. The truck has an arm that picks up cans and dumps them into the truck, where the trash is compacted. Elias was still in the trash can as it was dumped into the truck.
"In a minute he went out and the next thing I hear is the sound of the truck and a guy screaming," his grandmother, Carmen Salazar, told WFLA.
"I got picked up and thrown, to where I was going to be a mashed potato," Elias said of the scary moment.
Thankfully, the sanitation employee manning the truck, Waldo Fidele, was paying close attention to the surveillance camera, as he is trained to do.
"Looking on camera I see something drop," Waldo recalled.
"I was thinking this might be the end for me," Elias shared.
Waldo quickly shut off the blade and called 911.
"I come outside," Waldo recalled.
"I see him, he seemed happy, happy! I said OK, you're OK now."
Elias thanked Waldo as his grandmother rushed out, relieved to see Elias was OK. She initially thought the garbage truck had hit Elias.
"I'm very thankful that he was looking at that camera at that time and he acted so fast because otherwise, he wouldn't be here," Carmen said.
Elias also learned a big lesson about hiding in places he shouldn't be. He walked away a little wiser and with a story he'll never forget.
