Accident Involving Marblehead Man Shuts Down Maine Landfill

A Marblehead man’s foot accidentally slipped onto his gas pedal, which sent his truck into a garbage hopper at the Belgrade transfer station on Saturday, closing down the Central Maine landfill for three hours, according to CentralMaine.com.

David Shea, 75, of Marblehead was not injured in the incident, according to reports, and there will be no charges in the accident.

The accident caused minor damage to the hopper, which is a ground-level stainless steel pit, about 10 feet deep with sides that slant inward to a hole in the bottom.

Garbage thrown into the hopper slides down the sides into the hole, where a block of steel pushes the garbage into a dumpster behind the hopper, according to CentralMaine.com.

A three-foot high wall surrounds the hopper, but but one side is open, barred by a chain, a bar and a curb a few inches high, where pickup and garbage trucks back in to dump larger loads.