A 20-year-old man badly hurt in a recycling truck accident yesterday remains in a critical condition in hospital this afternoon.
Some of the injured man's relatives were at his side in hospital.
A member of the public found the man, known as Junior, unconscious in a recycling truck in Wellington yesterday morning.
The young EnviroWaste employee was pulled from the truck and taken to Wellington Hospital.
Gary Saunders, EnviroWaste managing director, said family members were with Junior this afternoon.
Mr Saunders said three staff had taken time off work, including two who were Junior's relatives.
"Another was one of our drivers on the scene and he's quite shaken by it all. So he's off and we're running counselling sessions at the moment."
A local resident rang emergency services and then EnviroWaste, and the driver who went to help was one of the first people on the scene.
Junior was working alone, having been in a single-operator truck.
Individual and group counselling was offered to employees and Mr Saunders said he was keeping his "fingers crossed" that Junior would improve.
Wellington Hospital confirmed today the 20-year-old man was still in a critical condition.
WorkSafe New Zealand spokesman Julian Robins said the health and safety regulatory agency was investigating the incident.
Mr Saunders said EnviroWaste would provide any information WorkSafe asked for.
EnviroWaste had a glass recycling contract with Wellington City Council.
The truck involved in yesterday's incident was still impounded, but Mr Saunders said this had not impacted EnviroWaste's ability to carry out recycling jobs.
The incident happened in Upton Terrace, Thorndon.
- By John Weekes of NZME