For weeks, the city told family members that Adams had simply 'come in contact' with the vehicle and her death was an unfortunate accident. Witnesses told police that the trash grappler operator deboarded the crane after plopping Adams back on the ground, looked at the pile of garbage and returned to the vehicle. Adams got up on her own and walked to a nearby convenience store, where she collapsed in the doorway and was found by a store clerk and a customer who phoned 911. She had blood coming out of her mouth and nose and was completely unable to speak. The Metro sanitation workers who were operating the vehicle did not call for help.
The Louisville Metro Police Department's Public Integrity Unit reviewed surveillance footage, which corroborated witness accounts. The public works employees operating the garbage truck at the time have been placed on leave, and their truck was impounded by police amid the ongoing investigation. The family's attorney, Stephanie Rivas, is compiling information as the family prepares to sue the city in the next few weeks. Rivas claims that one internal camera on the truck had been 'covered up'. The family believes that Adams' death was completely preventable if the workers had inspected the area.
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.
Adams was homeless and known by locals to frequent the area near Cedar Street and was living behind a convenience store nearby. She died at the University of Louisville Hospital.
No one went out and inspected the area where they were gathering up this trash. If they had just done that, they would have seen her. They would not have picked her up.
They had to get out of the truck to operate that equipment, but had they done the extra step that they were required to do and inspected the area, they would have found Tyrah. This was completely preventable on their part.