A private sanitation truck driver reversing down a Greenwich Village street Thursday fatally struck a man standing in the roadway, police said.
The 35-year-old driver for Liberty Ashes was doing his rounds when he backed down Cornelia St. from W. Fourth St. and fatally struck the victim at about 5:20 a.m., cops said.
The victim, who is also 35, died at the scene, about a block from Washington Square Park.
The victim appeared to be intoxicated when he stepped into the street, witnesses told police. Cops did not immediately disclose the man’s name.
The driver of the private carting truck remained at the scene. No charges were immediately filed.
A manager at Liberty Ashes declined to comment about the crash when reached. The private carter has been in business for 50 years and serves New York City and Long Island, according to the company’s website.
Thursday’s death is another black eye for the private sanitation business, which has seen a series of fatal crashes over the years while haulers drive long routes across the city.
In an effort to boost profits, many trash hauling companies assign crews to routes stretching all over the city that can take more than 12 hours to complete.
In response to the fatal crashes, a commercial waste zone program was developed in 2019 that would designate a single hauler responsible for neighborhoods. The city is expected to open its first commercial waste zone in Queens this fall, after years of delays.
The city’s Business Integrity Commission, which spearheaded the commercial zone waste program with the city Department of Sanitation, was looking into Thursday’s crash, a spokeswoman said.
“Our investigators went to the scene and are in communication with the NYPD,” the spokeswoman said. “We cannot share further detail at this time due to the ongoing investigation.”
