Richard Priem, ‘9-1-1’ Crew Member, Passes Away in Traffic Accident After 14-Hour Shift

Richard Priem, also known as Rico, passed away early Saturday morning in a highway crash. A crew member on 9-1-1 tragically passed away in a car accident after completing a late 14-hour shift on the procedural drama.

Richard Priem, known to friends and colleagues as Rico, served as a grip on the show and was a member of the IATSE Local 80 crew union. According to The Hollywood Reporter, which first broke the news, he was involved in a fatal highway crash early Saturday morning after an overnight shoot in Pomona, California.

“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,” a representative for 20th Television expressed in a statement to ET.

Priem’s passing was acknowledged in a social media post by his colleague, Nina Moskol, who mentioned that they had just worked together on Thursday night.

“He was on the cusp of retirement, with his paperwork filed,” the tribute read. “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.”

Moskol highlighted that “the two most dangerous parts of our days are getting to work, and getting home. Please stay safe out there.”

According to a report from TVLine, CHP officials noted the accident occurred around 4:27 a.m. The report indicates that Priem’s Toyota Highlander “left the roadway for unknown reasons, went up an embankment and flipped onto its roof.”

Priem was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene, and the cause of the accident is under investigation.

“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,” IATSE stated in a response to THR. “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.”