Police: Garbage truck operator killed after being struck by own vehicle

A man is dead and two others were injured following a crash near Cathedral and Centre streets on Friday afternoon. carlos Alvarez/wbff

The boarded-up building facade of the Cozy Corner in Mount Vernon, where a garbage truck crashed on Friday. Brooke Conrad/Staff

A garbage truck operator died Friday after being struck by the vehicle he operated, according to police. The 41-year-old Baltimore man, Michael Bost, was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials said Friday that a garbage truck collision occurred near Cathedral and Centre streets in Mount Vernon. A preliminary investigation found that “the commercial truck drifted downhill, striking the operator,” who was outside the truck at the time.

The truck then collided with four vehicles and crashed into the wall outside of the Cozy Corner restaurant around 3:45 p.m., police said.

Two other vehicle drivers — a man and a woman, both 27 years old — were transported to a hospital. Police said around midnight they were last listed to be in stable condition. The two other vehicles were not occupied.

Building inspectors were requested to evaluate “any potential structural damages,” police said. The building facade was boarded up on Saturday afternoon.

Humi Rivera, a security officer at the Walters Art Museum, was sitting at his desk on Friday when he said he heard rumbling and squeaking sounds and saw a driverless car being pushed by the runaway garbage truck. The car was pushed out of the way as it reached the intersection, and the truck continued forward, crashing into the restaurant, he said. An employee at a neighboring restaurant, Gallery Food Now, said she was inside when she heard what sounded like “braking” noises, which turned out to be the garbage truck hitting cars on the downward-sloping street.

“We came out and saw it had smashed into the building,” she said.

The owner of the Cozy Corner restaurant could not be reached for comment.

WB Waste Solutions, LLC, whose logo was on the side of the truck, also could not be reached for comment.

Police said anyone with information about the crash should contact investigators at 410-396-2606. People who want to report anonymously can contact Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.

Have a news tip? Contact Brooke Conrad at [e-mail], 443-682-2356 or @conrad_brooke on X.