Veteran Crew Member of Fox Series ‘9-1-1’ Dies in Car Accident After Overnight Shift

A crew member of the Fox TV series 9-1-1 died in a car accident on his way home for a 14-hour, overnight shift, according to reports.

Rico Priem, who was a long-time best boy grip in the TV industry, was reportedly driving home when he swerved his Toyota Highlander off the 57 Freeway and up an embankment, flipping the auto upside down, according to reports.

The 66-year-old crew member was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the California Highway Patrol.

“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,” crew union IATSE said in a statement. “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.”

“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,” 20th Television, the studio that produces 9-1-1, said in a statement of its own.

Priem had left the film set after 4:06 a.m. and died roughly around 4:26. He had reportedly worked two 14-hour shifts for two days in a row.

Fellow IATSE member Nina Moskol lamented the loss and noted that Priem was just about to retire and had put in his retirement papers.

“I had just worked with him the Thursday night before,” Moskol wrote on Instagram. “He was on the cusp of retirement, with his paperwork filed. 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.”

Priem had previously worked on the films Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Star Trek, and Ghost World, and had also been a crew member of the TV series S.W.A.T., the Hollywood Reporter noted.

IATSE union members have often decried the long commutes they have had to get to work as well as missed rest periods and long hours, the Reporter added.

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