The 9-1-1 team is in mourning after the tragic and sudden death of veteran crew member Rico Priem. The 66-year-old grip was traveling home early on May 11 after a mammoth 14-hour day shoot when his car overturned on the freeway.
As per the California Highway Patrol (via Variety) the crash happened at around 4:25 am on the 57 Freeway at Via Verde Drive in San Dimas. Priem’s Toyota Highlander left the road, went up an embankment, flipped onto its roof, and came to rest in the right lane. Emergency services attended and Priem was pronounced dead at the scene.
While the cause of the crash remains officially unknown there’s widespread suspicion that Priem fell asleep at the wheel after his extended shift, with a union official reporting that production had wrapped at 4:06 am. This was Priem’s second day running working a 14-hour shift.
Matt Loeb, the president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), of which Priem was a member, has released a statement saying:
Everyone in the IA family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss. 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.”
Another IATSE member, Nina Moskol was friends with Priem and said 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. He was so jazzed about what he had learned about retiring, he wanted to teach the ins and outs of retirement at the local.”
9-1-1 producers 20th Television also released a brief statement expressing their sadness:
“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.”
Overlong working hours are at the core of ongoing negotiations between IATSE and studios and this tragedy will undoubtedly harden the union’s position that there need to be limits on the consecutive hours their members can work without a rest period.
Priem had previously also worked on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Star Trek, Ghost World, S.W.A.T., and The Company You Keep.