NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A family is in mourning after a 54-year-old Queens Department of Sanitation worker died on the job Saturday evening when he fell out of the cab of his truck and beneath the wheels, officials said.
Richard Errico, a 19-year DSNY veteran, was killed instantly at about 6 p.m. on Saturday when he slipped underneath the wheels of his 65,000 pound sanitation truck just outside the department’s Queens East Garage.
Harry Nespoli, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, said that Errico was making a U-turn and fell out of the truck, running himself over.
“You're not talking about a junior person,” Nespoli told 1010 WINS. “You're talking about a senior man that [has] been doing this and he was well liked in his garage. The whole department right now is mourning the loss of Richard”
Sanitation workers frequently operate trucks with doors open because of the frequency with which they get in and out of the vehicle.
"I don't see anything that I could say to prevent this particular incident. It was an accident. The man knows his job but ... It's a very dangerous job,” Nespoli said.
Errico is the first DSNY worker to die on the job since 2014, according to Nespoli. He leaves behind a wife and two children, and was looking forward to his upcoming retirement.
Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement that he met with Errico’s family on Saturday night to share his condolences, and encouraged New Yorkers to offer recognition and appreciation to New York’s Strongest.
“Richard kept our streets and communities safe and clean for more than 19 years, and we should all be keeping Richard and his family in our prayers. He, like 8,000 uniformed sanitation workers, went to work every day to make a difference in their communities,” Adams said. “New York’s Strongest work tirelessly every day in incredibly difficult and physically taxing jobs. Too often, we don't stop to thank them for all they do to make our city a better place for us all to live.”
Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch acknowledged Errico’s work serving the people of Queens, and the department's mourning in the wake of his death.
“Our department mourns the loss of Sanitation Worker Richard Errico, a 19-year veteran who served the people of Douglaston, Littleneck, and Bayside as one of the Strongest,” Tisch said. “He did it proudly. I ask all New Yorkers to pray for his family, for Carol, Brooke, Paige, and Tommy, as Mayor Adams and I did. May Richard's memory be a blessing.”
The NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad is investigating the death, which is routine.
“The job is a very, very dangerous job. I know a lot of the public looks at it as if we're blocking up the streets, but the men and women on this job do a terrific job in cleaning the streets and keeping the streets safe for everybody,” Nespoli said.