Sanitation Worker Nelson Diaz, 60, collapsed Monday, August 11, while on collection duty in Mt. Eden.
At approximately 7:30 a.m. Diaz expressed a feeling of lightheadedness to his partner Jessey Massey.
Officials said it was after Massey recommended he take a break and rest in the truck, that Diaz slumped over the wheel.
He was immediately transported to Bronx-Lebanon Hospital where he died later that day.
“Diaz was respected by his colleagues for his dedication and devotion to duty,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg commented upon hearing the news. “We have lost one of the unsung heroes of our City, who worked tirelessly to make New York a better place for the rest of us.”
Having joined the DSNY in July of 1985, Diaz most recently served in the Sanitation’s Bronx District 4, which covers the Highbridge, Concourse, Mount Eden and Concourse Village sections of the borough.
“Diaz will be missed by his colleagues and friends at Bronx District 4,” commissioner John Doherty said. “He was a hard-working and well-liked employee who cared for his City, for the neighborhood he served and for his loving family.”
The 23-year sanitation worker’s serving spirit also earned him a Purple Heart for injuries he obtained while serving as a tank operator in the 1st Calvary Division of the United States Army during the Vietnam War.
Diaz is survived by his wife Ada and children Nelson Jr. and Omar. He is a grandfather of one with another on the way.
A viewing took place at F. Ruggiero & Sons Funeral Home, at 726 Morris Park Avenue, on Thursday, August 14, before Diaz’s body was transported for a funeral in Puerto Rico the following day.
