A crew member on the television show “9-1-1″ died in a car crash after working 14 hours on the set.
His local union office said it was the second 14-hour day on set in a row.
Rico Priem, 66, was driving home Saturday morning when the crash happened, said his union, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IASTE), according to Variety.
Priem was a grip on the show and, according to a fellow crewmember, “was on the cusp of retirement, with his paperwork filed,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“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,” fellow grip Nina Moskol said, according to the celebrity news outlet.
Priem also worked on “The Company You Keep,” “S.W.A.T.,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Star Trek,” “Christmas With the Kranks” and “Ghost World.”
His SUV left California State Route 57 in San Dimas, went up an embankment and flipped around 4:27 a.m. Priem was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The television shoot ended at 4:06 a.m., IASTE said.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of Priem’s crash.
“Everyone in the IA family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss,” IASTE President Matt Loeb said in a statement. “We are working to support our member’s family, their fellow members and colleagues. Safety in all aspects of the work our members do is our highest priority and we will assist in any investigation in any way that we can.”
The Hollywood Reporter said 20th Television, the company that produces “9-1-1,” released a statement, saying, “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.”
This isn’t the first time a crewmember died in a crash after a long shoot, a concern the union has posed several times.
Variety reported that camera operator Brent Hershman died in 1997 after a 19-hour day on the film “Pleasantville.”
The union pushed for shorter days after Hershman’s death and almost went on strike in 2021 over it, especially over concerns of what they call “Fraturday,” or a Friday shoot that runs into Saturday morning.
The union and studios agreed to a 54-hour weekend rest period to help end “Fraturday” schedules.
IASTE is once again at the negotiation table for its basic agreement, with talks expected to end on Thursday, including over working hours, Variety reported.
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