Woman killed after being picked up and ‘squeezed’ by garbage truck claw, family says
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE/Gray News) – A woman in Kentucky was killed after being crushed by a garbage truck’s grappler claw.
Tyrah Adams, 35, died on Feb. 12 when a waste crew was clearing an alley.
Adams, who was homeless and known to be in the area, was picked up by the truck’s grappler claw and crushed.
For weeks, the city described her death as her having “come into contact” with the truck.
On Wednesday, the Jefferson County coroner confirmed Adams died from blunt force and compressional trauma.
“She didn’t walk into this truck. They physically picked her up with that claw, squeezed her, compressed her, and dropped her. And left her there to find her own help,” Stephanie Rivas, the family’s attorney, said.
A police report released last month supported witness statements showing the grappler operator got off the crane, looked at the pile, then returned to the truck.
Those statements said Adams got up, walked to a store, and collapsed in the doorway, bleeding and unable to speak. Police records show neither worker called 911. Only the store clerk and a customer did.
“Knowing that they didn’t help her at all — that’s where most of my anger comes from. Knowing what he had did and what he saw, he didn’t even have the decency to just help,” said Sandra Akers, Adams’ sister.
Rivas said the lawsuit is about more than money. It is about access to information the family still does not have.
“We’ve been given bits and pieces of information. There’s a lot more to see — the videos that they’ve obtained. We don’t have access to those,” Rivas said.
“It’s just like being punched in the gut every single time something new comes out. But at the same time, it’s a relief that something more is being seen,” Akers said.
Louisville Public Works said it cannot provide additional comment while the investigation remains active. The two employees involved remain on administrative leave.
“Being able to finally feel like her soul is at rest. That’s what I mostly look forward to — for all of our family to be able to breathe,” Akers said.
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