Sanitation Worker Died After Douglaston Parkway Truck Fall
Richard Errico, 54, died at Douglaston Parkway and the Grand Central Parkway overpass on Sept. 21 after police said he fell from a garbage truck during a U-turn.
Approximate reported location.
What We Know
Richard Errico, 54, was working in Queens on Sept. 21, 2024, when police said he fell from a garbage truck while attempting a U-turn near 75-05 Douglaston Parkway. Police said he was run over by the truck’s front and rear wheels and was pronounced dead at the scene. The city crash record places the fatal collision at Douglaston Parkway and the Grand Central Parkway overpass at 5:43 p.m. and lists two garbage or refuse trucks in the event.
Police described a U-turn and a fatal fall
The crash happened around 5:43 p.m. on Sept. 21, 2024. Police told Patch that Richard Errico was attempting to make a U-turn near 75-05 Douglaston Parkway when he fell from the garbage truck and was run over by its front and rear wheels. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The record places the crash by the Grand Central Parkway overpass
The city crash record lists the location as Douglaston Parkway at the Grand Central Parkway overpass. Patch reported the police account as occurring in the vicinity of 75-05 Douglaston Parkway in Queens.
The official record lists two refuse trucks
The city crash record lists two garbage or refuse vehicles: a 2018 Mack truck/bus recorded as making a U-turn with one occupant, and a 2019 Mack truck/bus recorded as parked. Patch’s police account focused on Errico’s own garbage truck.
City officials identified Errico as a longtime sanitation worker
Patch identified the worker as Richard Errico, 54. Mayor Eric Adams said Errico had worked to keep city streets and communities clean for more than 19 years, adding, “I met with Richard's family tonight and shared how deeply sorry I was for their loss.”