Deputies are investigating a crash involving a garbage truck in the Apex area of Wake County, where a person appeared to have died at the scene, with a tarp covering the person. The truck itself was cordoned off with crime-scene tape.
Sky 5 flew over the scene near Lower Creek Court and Deer Meadow Drive at 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to WRAL. Aerial footage showed the garbage truck cordoned off at the scene, with what appeared to be a body covered by a tarp nearby, though authorities had not confirmed whether anyone had died.
Radio traffic captured on Broadcastify suggested that a person was crushed by the truck, but that detail had not been confirmed by authorities as of Tuesday morning. The same radio traffic indicated that a garbage truck driver and his assistant were involved, and that one of them was reportedly crushed by the truck itself — details that remain unverified.
What Investigators Have Not Confirmed
WRAL News said it was working to confirm what happened and whether anyone died in the crash. No government or law-enforcement agency has independently verified the radio traffic describing the driver, the assistant, or the person reportedly crushed, and key details — including the identities and conditions of those involved and the cause of the crash — remain unknown.
Refuse collection is a high-risk occupation nationally: in 2024, refuse and recyclable-material collectors had a fatal work-injury rate of 37.4 per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers, with 36 fatal injuries recorded. Those national figures describe the occupation, not the circumstances of Tuesday’s crash. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures document the broader risk.
Garbage trucks have factored into other recent Wake County traffic incidents. In a separate crash, an 18-wheeler and a garbage truck collided, blocking two westbound lanes of Interstate 40 near Gorman Street, with backups stretching as far back as Lake Wheeler Road at one point. Crews in that incident worked to clean up what appeared to be an oil spill, per the same news outlet's reporting.
Investigation Remains Active
No cause has been established for Tuesday's crash near Lower Creek Court, and the garbage truck's owner or operating company has not been identified in reporting so far. Hoodline will update this story as deputies and WRAL News release additional confirmed details about the crash and anyone affected.
