A DRUNK Canadian student was crushed to death in a rubbish truck after apparently falling asleep in a bin just hours after arriving in Britain, an inquest heard on Thursday.

Garrett Joseph Franklin Elsey, 22, had become separated from his friend while out celebrating his first night in Bristol, southwest England, on September 26 last year.

The graduate from Alberta had drunk more than seven pints of beer and had four shots of Jagermeister, became lost and developed early signs of hypothermia, the inquest heard.

"People suffering with hypothermia can often become very confused and make strange decisions... they may seek refuge in confined spaces," said pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffrey.

An inquest is a judicial process presided over by a coroner which establishes cause of death.

Acting coroner Terence Moore said there was no evidence that Elsey had been assaulted or hit by a vehicle, and ruled the student died by accidental death.

"This extremely tragic story is a very sad one. Garrett had only come to the UK on the 26th of September and he was dead within the next 24 hours," Moore said.

"The scenario Garrett found himself was that he was lost, cold and disorientated and possibly showing signs of hypothermia."

Elsey was due to begin a master's degree in international security in Bristol, and celebrated his arrival with a British friend he had met while playing rugby in Canada.

They went to a club together but while his friend was in the toilet, Elsey was asked to leave because he was drunk, staggering out into nearby Berkeley Place.

The following morning, a refuse team collected several large rubbish containers and attached them to their truck, before the contents were compacted.

It was not until they finished their rounds and the truck was emptied that Elsey's body was found, fully clothed with his passport and wallet in his pockets.