A drinker narrowly escaped being crushed in a rubbish truck after a boozy night out.

William M Bowen woke up in a bin full of waste in Muncie, Indiana, US.

A driver had just emptied the commercial bin into his truck and was about to activate its compactor when he heard screaming.

"He looked up and this gentleman was standing out the top of our truck," said Larry Green, market safety supervisor for the Rumpke waste disposal company.

Mr Green said the only thing Mr Bowen said to the driver was that he was cold.

"This gentleman was extremely intoxicated," he said.

Mr Bowen told police he had been drinking with friends at a Muncie bar until about 3am.

But he said he did not recall how he ended up inside the bin and he would not tell police who his drinking pals were.

He was also treated for minor injuries.

"I'm just glad it turned out the way it did," Mr Green said. "We didn't have a body that was dead. We had a body that was talking."

OMG. I don't understand why people think they have to get into that state to have a good night out.

He had a lucky escape.

John would never have awoken :o :o