By Canadian Press

Woman trapped in N.B. clothing bin after seeking shelter during storm

Jan 23, 2019 | 9:00 AM

MIRAMICHI, N.B. — Police say a 60-year-old woman became trapped in a clothing donation bin while seeking shelter from a northern New Brunswick snowstorm.

An officer in Miramichi was driving past an arena early Monday when he glanced at donation bins in the parking lot and saw the metal flap on one of the bins move.

Police say the officer pulled up to investigate, and found the woman inside.

She told the officer she had crawled into the bin to escape the storm, and became trapped.

Two people have died after becoming stuck in donation bins in recent weeks — a 35-year-old woman in Toronto and a 34-year-old man in West Vancouver.

Question of the Week

Has there been any progress made in the overdose crisis since BC declared a public health emergency in 2016?

7h ago

Episode 6

1000 Ways to Heal: Inner Child

10h ago

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: The changing face of business

Apr 14, 2024

There have been at least eight such deaths in Canada since 2015.

In the Miramichi case, police said the woman had been in the bin for a few hours.

“She said that she had entered it to get out of the storm,” Miramichi police said in a social media post.

“She was unable to get out on her own. She said that she had been there for a few hours before the officer found her. Other then being very cold, physically she was OK. The officer then drove her to a residence.”

RangeView Fabricating, a Toronto-area company that produces bins used by prominent charities such as Diabetes Canada, said earlier this month it had stopped producing the metal containers as it worked on coming up with safer designs.

The Canadian Press