The body of a man was found Saturday morning in the back of a city of Billings waste management truck. Authorities believe his death was accidental.

Billings police responded to a call at the McDonald's Restaurant at 1046 Grand Ave. at 6:22 a.m., according to Sgt. Jay Berry. The body was discovered by the driver in the hopper of the large turquoise truck.

The man's identity has been confirmed, Yellowstone County Deputy Coroner Chad Fehr said Saturday evening, and he is from out of the area. His identity will not be released until family can be contacted, Fehr said.

The deputy coroner said the death has been ruled accidental.

"He died of blunt force injuries to the chest," Fehr said.

Berry agreed, saying in a written statement that everything points to an accident and that the injuries were consistent with what could happen "with the operation of the waste management vehicle."

Berry said the victim was found "partially in a sleeping bag" and may have been using a large metal Dumpster for shelter overnight.

"The Dumpster was emptied into the waste management vehicle during a regularly scheduled collection," he wrote.

Police responded to the crime scene with their Police Crime Scene Investigation van. The garbage truck was in the lot adjacent to McDonald's, behind a shuttered restaurant that previously housed a Dairy Queen.

The time and place of death of the man was not immediately known, Berry said, and the investigation is continuing. His name and age are being withheld pending notification of relatives.

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