A Kentucky family is suing after they say a homeless woman was killed in a horrifying garbage truck accident during an alley cleanup in Louisville.
Tyrah Adams, 35, died in February after her family claims a Louisville Metro garbage truck picked her up with its hydraulic trash claw while she was lying in a cardboard box near debris.
According to the lawsuit, the truck’s claw allegedly lifted Adams, compressed her body, and then dropped her in the alley without workers following proper safety protocols.
The legal complaint accuses the city and sanitation workers of “gross negligence” and “reckless conduct” that led to Adams’ death.
The family claims Louisville Metro knew, or should have known, that homeless and vulnerable people may be present in alleys, debris piles, and cleanup locations targeted by Public Works crews.
“[Louisville Metro] knew or should have known that homeless individuals and vulnerable person(s) occupied alleys, debris piles, and cleanup locations targeted during Public Works operations,” the complaint states, according to Louisville Public Media.
Adams’ family says the incident happened while she was lying in a cardboard box near an area surrounded by trash.
Their attorney, Stephanie Rivas, said before filing the lawsuit that the workers physically picked Adams up with the claw.
“They physically picked her up with that claw, squeezed her, compressed her, and dropped her,” Rivas told WSMV.
Rivas also claimed the workers left Adams there to seek help on her own.
According to the complaint, Adams somehow managed to move her badly injured body to a nearby J&M Food Mart after the incident.
A store clerk called 911 after Adams stumbled inside screaming for help.
The lawsuit says one person in the store described Adams as “turning colors no white woman should be.”
Adams later died from her injuries. A coroner’s report said she died from severe blunt force and compressional trauma.
The lawsuit alleges the city and sanitation workers failed Adams in multiple ways, including failing to inspect the work area, failing to maintain a proper lookout, failing to keep people clear of the operation zone, failing to use proper spotting procedures, failing to supervise employees, and failing to enforce safety rules.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg reportedly released a statement after the incident saying garbage crews were cleaning the alley when the truck accidentally picked up Adams. He said the workers did not see her.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office told the Courier Journal that their “thoughts and condolences remain with the victim’s family,” but declined to comment on the lawsuit.
For Adams’ loved ones, the case is about more than a tragic accident.
They say her death should never have happened if workers had checked the area before using heavy equipment.
Now, her family is asking a court to hold the city and sanitation workers accountable for what they call a preventable and horrific death.