9-1-1 crew member killed in car crash after 14-hour night shift

A 9-1-1 A crew member died in a highway accident on Saturday after a 14-hour shift on the ABC series.

Rico Priem was a lighting technician and member of IATSE Local 80. His death was confirmed by the union and the show’s studio, 20th Television.

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In a memo to one of the IATSE chapters, management wrote that Priem had finished production around 4 a.m. on Saturday. The accident occurred as he was driving home to Woodland Hills from the Pomona set.

According to TVLine, the California Highway Patrol released more details about the circumstances of the accident. Officials reported that the accident occurred around 4:27 a.m.

Priem was reportedly driving north on the 57 Freeway at Via Verde Drive in San Dimas when his vehicle “left the roadway for unknown reasons, traveled up an embankment and overturned onto its roof. Priem was pronounced dead at the scene.” The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.

“We are fully committed to the safety and well-being of all our members and extend our deepest condolences to the families of our members,” IATSE said in a statement. “Workers have a reasonable expectation that they will be able to get to and from work safely. No one should be put in unsafe circumstances while trying to earn a living.”

In a statement of his own, IATSE President Matthew D. Loeb added: “Everyone in the IA family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss. We are working to support our members’ families, their fellow members and colleagues. Safety in all aspects of our members’ work is our highest priority and we will assist in any investigation in any way we can.”

Long production times are a perennial problem that crew members have been trying to solve for years. Drowsy driving after these shoots has led to a number of accidents, including in 2017 when actor KJ Apa was involved in an accident after filming. Riverdale.

IATSE members raised this issue during the 2021 collective bargaining negotiations, and the union appears to be again prioritizing rest periods between shooting days in current negotiations.

“On behalf of the studio and all employees 9-1-1“We send our sincere and deepest condolences to Rico Priem’s ​​family and friends,” a spokesman for 20th Television, the show’s studio, said in a statement.

An AMPTP spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline: “Our deepest condolences go out to Rico Priem’s ​​family, friends and all those affected by this tragic loss of life.”

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