Hempstead sanitation worker killed on job

Jed Hendrixson

A Town of Hempstead Sanitation Department employee was killed in an accident while completing a route Wednesday afternoon.

The employee, identified by Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen as Jean MacDonald of Freeport, sustained injuries to the chest and abdomen when the truck on which he was riding struck a landscaper’s truck on Bunker Avenue in Wantagh, detectives said.

MacDonald, 60, was rushed to a local hospital and pronounced dead by doctors. The sanitation truck will undergo safety inspections and the investigation is ongoing, the detectives said.

“Mr. MacDonald, a Freeport resident, has been a part of the Hempstead town workforce since 2006,” Gillen said in a statement. “An exemplary employee, Jean was a hard-working and dedicated member of the Sanitation Department.”

“Many do not realize dangers of this job,” Hempstead Councilwoman Erin King Sweeney tweeted. “Crews go out in all conditions with many hazards to perform essential service.”

Efforts to reach CSEA Local 880, which represents town employees, were unavailing.

Detectives said the accident occurred around 1:25 p.m. while MacDonald and two other sanitation employees were collecting leaves from residencies, according to detectives.

One worker was operating the sanitation truck, the second stood on the rear driver’s side step and MacDonald stood on the rear passenger’s side step.

The operator of the truck was backing up the vehicle when it struck a parked landscapers truck

In 2014, a collision between two town sanitation trucks in East Meadow resulted in the death of one worker, Jarred Newallo.

 

 

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