Trash compactor crushes man looking for cellphone: 'He's very lucky to be alive'

A Colorado man was seriously injured by a trash compactor after he attempted to locate a missing cellphone on Friday.

Scott Walsh, 22, suffered injuries including a cracked skull, ruptured neck arteries and broken legs after he fell down an apartment's trash chute and into a trash compactor at the bottom, according to a GoFundMe account created by Liz DiSalvo. 

DiSalvo told USA TODAY that she is a friend and former coworker of Walsh's, and that she gathered the information posted to the account from other friends who witnessed the incident.

After a friend lost a phone down the chute, Walsh attempted to retrieve it, the crowdfunding campaign says.

Police responded to the incident and did not find anything suspicious, spokesman Sonny Jackson told The Denver Post.

Walsh fell down the chute about 15 feet, the paper reports, citing Matt Johnson, a friend of Walsh's who called 911 as the incident unfolded.

Before losing his balance and falling, Walsh was looking into the chute in search of the missing phone, Johnson told the publication. He said that he witnessed first responders taking apart the machine to extract Walsh.

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The trash compactor was weight-activated, KMGH-TV reports.

"I saw him come out of the trash compactor ... It wasn't a very good scene. He's very lucky to be alive," Johnson told the station.

KMGH reports that Walsh has no brain or spinal damage, according to doctors.

DiSalvo's crowd funding campaign aims to raise money to help with Walsh's medical bills and long-term recovery, she told USA TODAY. She said Walsh is currently in stable condition.