Man, 39, crushed to death as he guided a tractor-trailer into supermarket garage

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NEW YORK - A 39-year-old man was crushed to death by a tractor-trailer as it backed in to a supermarket garage in Harlem, police said.

The accident happened shortly after 7 p.m. Monday at the Super Foodtown market on West 145th Street.

Police said the man was pinned between the tractor trailer and a parked trailer. He was taken to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name was not immediately released.

Witnesses told the Daily News that the man was crushed as he tried to guide the tractor trailer into the garage. They said the man was known around the neighborhood for collecting bottles and cans and that he often directed trucks into the loading area for tips.

"He was one of the guys from the neighborhood who would pick up cans," area resident Theresa Culvert told the newspaper. "He always guided the trucks in. He was just helping out, and it’s terrible to know he passed."

The operator of the truck was not injured and remained at the scene. A police investigation was underway.

With the Associated Press