It’s easy to overlook the small things in life—a missed turn, a forgotten item on a grocery list, or even a single piece of trash left behind in a parking lot. But for some, these seemingly insignificant moments become an unexpected source of an explosive scare for an Ohio trash disposal worker who was caught on a need-to-see-it-to-believe-it piece of video.
The incident which was shared by a Reddit user named CrunchyKittyLitter in the mildlyinfuriating subreddit. The post, which went viral for its blend of confusion and outrage, centered around a single, abandoned oxygen tank found in a residential trash bin. The oxygen tank, clearly marked with warning signs and instructional labels, had been tossed carelessly into the trash, as if it were nothing more than a discarded soda can. The person who had discarded it didn’t seem to realize the potential dangers involved. Oxygen tanks, after all, are highly pressurized vessels and can be explosive if not handled properly. Simply tossing them into a regular trash bin can lead to disastrous consequences.
After tossing the trash into the dumptruck, the tank explodes and looks like a grenade went off rather than an oxygen tank. The debris and force thankfully grazes the worker who turned away just in time and clearly seemed stunned by the explosion. Folks in the comments quickly chimed in on the Columbus man and the incident in general.
“They should be charged with wreckless endangerment or something”
“It probably hurt his hearing quite a bit”
“Does worker comp cover that? 😭”
Thankfully the man is okay, but seriously people, read the instructions and don’t throw away potential explosive tanks in your regular trash can. If you don’t know what to do, at least let the trash worker know before they toss it into a trash compactor and create another explosive situation.
