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Man rescued after getting head stuck in garbage can

The image is going viral, but it's a very sad story

It's hard not to laugh when seeing this image, but at the same time feel sad for this Scottish man who's public indignity is going viral.

Firefighters in Aberdeen, Scotland were called in Sunday evening to help free a man's head from a garbage can after he was screaming for help, reports the Daily Mail.

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The man is known locally as Tam and is reportedly homeless. It isn't known exactly how or why he got his head stuck, but one local has an idea.

"He was looking for a cigarette someone had just stubbed out and thrown in the bin, but got stuck as he tried to reach for it," said a local to the Daily Mail. The 52-year-old Tam reportedly just lost his home. "He was really screaming and shouting for help - but to be honest, most people just stood around laughing and taking pictures."

Tam was trapped for about 15 minutes until the fire brigade arrived and took the top off the bin.

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BBC reported that the man wasn't injured although he was taken to hospital and later released.

Sky News is reporting homeless charities are condemning poeple for laughing at the man while he was in trouble, but hope people will learn about the desperation of people on the streets.

"Whoever the gentleman is I'm sure, for whatever reasons, he wouldn't want to see himself being plastered about all over the media," said Scott Baxter, of The Cyrenians, to Sky. "I understand it has gone worldwide but hopefully maybe people will take a moment to think being in those shoes would they want to be laughed at."

While the story is sad, many on Twitter can't help but laugh.

This isn't the first time someone had put their head in an opening too small to get it out of. Last month a Chinese boy was playing on a balcony and got his head stuck between two stone pillars. Firefighters raced to the scene and used hydraulic spreading pliers to crack the balcony and widen the opening. China's state television reported the boy wasn't injured.

(Photo posted by Sarah Lauren Scott on Twitter)