Fatally run over by garbage truck while sleeping in dark alley, Redding woman, 56, ID’d

October 29, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

UPDATED: Thursday, Nov. 4, 11:35 a.m.

Originally published: Friday, Oct. 29, 5:02 p.m.

See Original Story below.

REDDING, CALIF. — Officials have identified a homeless woman who was fatally run over by a City of Redding garbage truck while sleeping in a dark alleyway between the California-Market and a Wienerschnitzel restaurant, near the intersection of Trinity and Market streets last Friday.

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Officials reported the day of the fatal accident that the garbage truck was collecting garbage when the deadly accident occurred. They have also said the victim was wrapped in dark blankets and clothing when she was run over.

“The garbage truck backed up from the dumpster and proceeded to make a right turn to travel north in the alley,” Redding Police Corporal DiMatteo said the day of the fatal incident.

“The driver of the truck was unable to see the female who was sleeping in the path of travel for the truck,” the Corporal continued; adding that the truck then ran over the woman’s body, killing her.

“The decedent suffered major injuries as a result of the collision and was pronounced deceased at the scene by emergency personnel,” Shasta County Chief Deputy Coroner Lieutenant Stonehouse reported last night.

“The decedent has been positively identified as 56-year-old, Tina Kay Michaels, of Redding, California,” the Lieutenant continued. “The decedent’s next-of-kin has been notified and a postmortem examination has been completed.”

This case remains under investigation by the Redding Police Department.

Original Story: Sleeping in dark alley, woman fatally run over by Redding garbage truck

REDDING, Calif., — Authorities say a woman sleeping in a dark alleyway was fatally run over by a City of Redding garbage truck that was collecting trash in downtown Redding earlier this morning, Friday, Oct. 29.

The driver of the garbage truck had not seen the sleeping woman, who had been wrapped in dark blankets, and was not initially aware he had run the woman over, according to officials.

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A City of Redding police officer was patrolling in the area of Trinity and Market streets shortly before 8 a.m. when they were flagged down by a citizen reporting a medical emergency in the California-Market alleyway to the rear of Wienerschnitzel, Redding Police Corporal Michael DiMatteo has since reported.

Arriving in the alleyway within moments, the officer discovered an unresponsive woman who had suffered major traumatic injuries. Although medical aid was summoned, the woman ultimately succumbed to her injuries and passed away at the scene. Her name has not yet been released pending positive identification and notification of the woman’s family.

“The injuries to the female were consistent with being struck by a vehicle,” DiMatteo described; saying members of the department’s Traffic Unit responded to the scene and assumed the investigation.

During their subsequent investigation, officials learned the woman had been wrapped in dark-colored blankets and clothing and was sleeping in the path of travel of the narrow alleyway when a City garbage truck entered the alley and emptied a large dumpster.

“The garbage truck backed up from the dumpster and proceeded to make a right turn to travel north in the alley,” DiMatteo went on to say.

The deadly accident remains under investigation

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Corporal Michael DiMatteo of the Redding Police Department Traffic Unit at (530) 225-4264. Callers can refer to incident file number 21R070754 and can remain anonymous.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.