A veteran sanitation worker died on the job in Queens Saturday after he was crushed by his own garbage truck, according to city officials.
The man, identified as 54-year-old Richard Errico, was attempting to make a U-turn around 5:43 p.m. at a DSNY garage in Douglaston when he fell out of his truck, police said. The truck’s front and back wheels ran over Errico, killing him, according to the NYPD.
It was not clear on Sunday what caused Errico — who worked for the sanitation department for 19 years — to fall out of the truck. An NYPD spokesperson said the incident was under investigation.
“I met with Richard’s family tonight and shared how deeply sorry I was for their loss. Richard kept our streets and communities safe and clean for more than 19 years,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement released late Saturday. “He, like 8,000 uniformed sanitation workers, went to work every day to make a difference in their communities.”
Sanitation department commissioner Jessica Tisch said Errico, a sanitation worker, served the Douglaston, Littleneck and Bayside neighborhoods during his time at DSNY.