ELMHURST, Queens — A worker is dead after falling from a cherry picker he was working in when a truck struck it early Thursday in Queens, police said.
Jose Polanco, 59, was nearly 20 feet off the ground, working on a traffic light in the bucket of the crane, at the intersection of Goldsmith Street and Grand Avenue in Elmhurst, authorities said.
Just before 3 a.m., a box truck driving by collided with the bucket of the cherry picker, causing Polanco inside to fall, according to the FDNY.
The 59-year-old man was rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest, where he later died, officials said.
Polanoc’s co-worker on the scene told PIX11 exclusively that the victim was a “great guy,” and did “good work.”
Police said the 56-year-old driver of the box truck remained on the scene.
After being given a breathalyzer test, the truck driver was allowed to leave and is not being arrested at this time, police said.
The victim worked for Welsbach Electric, a company that fixes traffic lights around the city.
PIX11’s Anthony DiLorenzo got surveillance footage that appears to show the moments leading up to the truck striking the crane.
Editor’s note: The story has been updated with the victim’s name. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the victim worked for Weisbach Electric.
