After a 14-hour, overnight shift, a crew member working on 9-1-1 passed away in a car accident.
What’s Happening:
- According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rico Priem, a grip working on the hit ABC show 9-1-1, was killed in a car accident early Saturday morning.
- Priem had been working a 14-hour, overnight shift from Friday to early Saturday in an on-location shoot in Pomona, California.
- 20th Television and IATSE, a union representing crew members in the film and television industry, confirmed Priem’s death Monday morning.
- At this time, specific details about the crash are not available.
- This is the latest tragedy in a series of crew related incidents this year, raising further questions on how IATSE can protect its workers and their safety.
- Crew members began showing support for Priem and his family on social media over the weekend.
- Nina Moskol of IATSE Local 80, described Priem as a “writer’s dream of a working man.” She also shared Priem “was on the cusp of retirement, with his paperwork filed,” and that “he had his already rich life planned for retirement, including spending time with his wife, watching his grand-nephew grow, riding his beloved Harley, and even gripping still to stay connected to his friends. He was so jazzed about what he had learned about retiring, he wanted to teach the ins and outs of retirement at the local.”
- IATSE members have been outspoken about the dangers of shifts lasting over 12 hours since the union negotiation period of 2021. The Union has continued to prioritize financial penalties in these negotiations.
What People are Saying:
- IATSE statement: “We are fully committed to the safety and the well-being of all our members and express our heartfelt condolences to the member’s family. Workers have a reasonable expectation that they can get to work and come home safely. No one should be put in unsafe circumstances while trying to earn a living.”
- 20th Television statement: “On behalf of the studio and everyone at 9-1-1, we send our sincere and deepest condolences to Rico Priem’s family and friends.”