Man crushed while helping guide semi truck into tight spot

A man was killed in New York City on Monday as he tried to help direct a tractor trailer into a tight garage. 

The incident happened on April 19th at the Super Foodtown loading area on W. 145th St. and Frederick Douglass Blvd in New York City, New York. 

According to NY Daily News, the tractor trailer backed up at an angle, pinning the unnamed 39-year-old man against another semi truck. 

“He was trying to direct the tractor trailer back into the building. There was another (truck) next to it,” said a worker who witnessed the incident. 

Locals say the man often helps to direct trucks into the garage for tips, and was well known in the neighborhood for collecting bottles for cash. 

“When the truck came forward, he just fell out, forward,” the worker said. “He was crushed.”

The man was transported to a nearby hospital, but he could not be revived. 

“He was one of the guys from the neighborhood who would pick up cans,” said Theresa Culvert, 57, who lives across the street from the supermarket. “He always guided the trucks in. He was just helping out, and it’s terrible to know he passed.”

“Every time I went to the store he would say hi and play with my dog. Everybody in the neighborhood knew him. He was very kind and he would talk to everybody.”

The truck driver remained on the scene and the incident is still under investigation.