Everclear. Vodka. Fruit. Fruit Punch. You may not know what drink this is, but you know it by name (or maybe even by taste)…Trash Can Punch. But image actually being in that trash can. Or better yet, imagine being stuck in a trash compactor and being too drunk to escape. For some this may be a far-fetched scenario, but for 27-year-old Justin Gilpatrick, this was his reality. On Thursday, August 9, 2012, Justin went out to the a bar in Southeast Portland, OR and had one too many drinks. Being the responsible man he is, he decided that he was far too drunk to drive home. Sounds reasonable, right? But here’s the kicker….he decided to sleep off his buzz in a recycling dumpster. WTH?!
Waste Management emptied the contents of a dumpster, and Justin, into a compactor truck late last Thursday night. But that’s not the end. The driver of the truck traveled less than a quarter of a mile before and compacted his load twice, with Justin Gilpatrick still inside! Luckily he survived with only minor injuries. If you’re scratching your head like me and wondering how Justin survived being compacted twice, it’s because there weren’t that many recyclables in the compactor. Had the compactor been full, he may not have made it out alive. Good thing the driver was so attentive….sheeesh. He decided to let the world of Facebook know about his wild night in the trash can by posting this as his status: “I have not had a drink in years, and the one time I do, this is what happens”. Right…I give him 3 months tops and he’ll be drinking again.
Ok, so no one was harm was done to Gilpatrick, the driver or anyone else. Sure, it’s commendable that Justin did not try to drive home. But come on now, what did he have to drink (and how many drinks) to get him so drunk to go to sleep in a dumpster? I need to stay away from it, whatever it is. Jackie Lang, spokeswoman for Waste Management, sang the truck driver’s praises and said he’s only been with the company for 2 years. But he has a perfect driving record. Another interesting twist to the story is the friend who was with Justin on the night of the drunken fiasco. Justin later updated his status with the following post, “My friend who was with me last night, I guess he left me at the bar and went home on his way he was in a three car wreck. Hi vw was done, but he was ok for the most part. I think I’m going to stay home and watch a movie tonight”. Yeah….I think you should too Justin. And what kind of friend leaves you drunk at a bar by yourself. When both of you sober up, that needs to be the first discussion you have.
What are your thoughts on this story? Has Justin really stopped drinking or is he just taking a break because of his dumpster scare? Would you let your friend go home alone from a bar or a party if they were drunk?
***In other crazy Portland, OR news, a man high on meth named Charles Freeman decided he want to walk around town…naked. Get this…he was put into the hospital because he was so high, was released the next day and stripped his clothes off….because he was still high. Oh and he attempted to steal a van while doing so and attacked a homeless man. Way to be incognito. Apparently he was pretty strong too. Police had to resort to beating him after he failed to calm down using other methods. What is really going on?!?!***