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Worker fatally run over by garbage truck after falling out, New York officials say

Richard Errico was a 19-year veteran with the New York City Sanitation Department when he died from an accident on the job.
Richard Errico was a 19-year veteran with the New York City Sanitation Department when he died from an accident on the job. Screengrab from WABC.

A worker with the New York City Sanitation Department was killed in an accident on the job, officials said.

Richard Errico, 54, was attempting to make a U-turn when he fell out of the cab of a 65,000-pound sanitation truck and was run over by it on Sept. 21, officials said, according to WABC. He died on the scene.

Errico had been with the department for 19 years, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

“Our thoughts tonight are with Richard’s family, friends, coworkers, and everyone who knew and loved him,” Adams said in a statement. “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.”

Adams said Errico and other sanitation workers “went to work every day to make a difference in their communities” as one of “New York’s strongest.”

DSNY Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the department is mourning the loss of Errico.

Tisch said in the statement that Errico did his job proudly

Errico was looking forward to retiring soon, 1010 WINS reported. He was a husband and father of two.

“You’re not talking about a junior person,” Harry Nespoli, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, 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.”

McClatchy News reached out to DSNY for more information but did not immediately hear back.

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This story was originally published September 22, 2024 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Worker fatally run over by garbage truck after falling out, New York officials say."

Jennifer Rodriguez
mcclatchy-newsroom
Jennifer Rodriguez is a McClatchy National Real-Time reporter covering the Central and Midwest regions. She joined McClatchy in 2023 after covering local news in Youngstown, Ohio, for over six years. Jennifer has made several achievements in her journalism career, including receiving the Robert R. Hare Award in English, the Emerging Leader Justice and Equality Award, the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award and the Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan Award.
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