Twin trash tragedies
wouldn’t comment on Spence or the two deaths.
A man who identified himself as Spence’s uncle said he knew about his nephew’s driving issues.
“You can’t really get around accidents happening,” the relative said. “He’s definitely an excellent driver, he knows the road.”
The uncle said Spence “was a little emotional” after the most recent crash.
“He’s an excellent driver, he’s been driving for years,” the uncle said. “He’s a good handler. I give him an ‘A.’ It’s a surprise hearing that he’s got an issue.”
Responding to the two fatalities, a coalition of labor, transportation and community groups are calling on the city’s Business Integrity Commission to suspend Sanitation Salvage’s business license.
Sanitation Salvage is one of the city’s largest private sanitation companies. But it also has the distinction of having one of the worst records when it comes to safety violations, according to advocates.
“These deaths cannot be reduced to mere accidents,” the group wrote.
Over the past two years, Sanitation Salvage trucks were inspected on a dozen occasions by government regulators. Violations were found each time, the group said. In 10 of these inspections, the violations were so severe that the trucks had to be pulled out of service.
Orrett Ewen, 43, a former employee for Sanitation Salvage said that Spence was a new hire who had joined in the past two years.
Ewen, who left the company in 2016, said he wasn’t surprised that two people were killed by his former employer’s trucks.
“I wasn’t surprised,” he said. “They rush to finish the route because the route is so big. Sometimes I was forced to work 16 hours a day. I used to fall asleep on the back of the truck.”
On Thursday, Mayor de Blasio said City Hall will be looking into safety concerns involving private carting companies.
“(The) whole industry, everyone should be held accountable under Vision Zero,” de Blasio said.