Waste Pro Worker Dies After Garbage Truck Door Closes On Head: Sheriff

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — The death of a Waste Pro employee who was killed while performing maintenance on a garbage truck Tuesday afternoon is under investigation, according to a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Leroy Firestone, 59, was working on the truck’s hydraulics at the Waste Pro facility at 7921 15th St E. in Sarasota around 5:30 p.m. when the hydraulic blade/door on the side activated, causing the door to close on his head, MCSO said. He was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS responders.

Detectives interviewed Firestone’s co-workers, “who were very distraught, and found nothing suspicious about the incident,” the sheriff’s office said. “It appears there was miscommunication between the victim and another employee during the repair.”

While investigators believe Firestone’s death was accidental, the investigation continues, the agency added.

Firestone, an artist known to many as "Lee," previously owned the Firestone Gallery in the Village of the Arts. He’s also a former radio personality and producer who worked for 96 K-Rock, according to his Facebook page.