Sanworker Dies In Truck Fall

By REUVEN BLAU

Bronx Sanitation Worker Rafael Concepcion died Dec. 9 when he was thrown from the cab of his truck after his partner lost control as he rounded a corner.

Mr. Concepcion, 36, suffered fatal internal injures as a result of the accident, which occurred on the corner of 188th St. and Washington Avenue in The Bronx at about 2:45 a.m. He died on the operating table at St. Barnabas Hospital.

His family and union questioned why it took the department nearly 12 hours to inform them about the accident. "That's totally unacceptable," Harry Nespoli, president of the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association, told the Daily News.

The department is investigating the accident and the delay in notifying his family, an agency spokeswoman said.

Mr. Concepcion, the father of two daughters, Kateleen, 7, and Brianna, 1, joined the department on Sept. 12, 2005. "The death of Sanitation Worker Rafael Concepcion is a tragedy not only for his family, but for the entire Department of Sanitation," said spokeswoman Kathy Dawkins.