Woman was ‘grabbed and crushed to death’ by rubbish truck claw clearing alleyway

Tyrah Adams, 35, was sleeping rough at the time of the incident (Picture: Wave 3)

The family of a woman in America who died after the grappler on a bin lorry grabbed her and crushed her to death are planning to sue the local government.

Tyrah Adams, 35, was killed as bin men in Louisville, Kentucky, were clearing an alley because she was picked up by the claw attached to the vehicle, according to the TV channel Wave 3.

Adams was sleeping rough and living behind a convenience shop when she died on February 12.

The coroner in Jefferson County said the cause of the woman’s death was blunt force and compressional trauma.

The city told Adams’ family that she had ‘come in contact’ with the vehicle while she was ‘unseen’ by the people operating it. They said her death was a ‘tragic accident’.

Adams’ family told local media they plan to sue the local government (family photo) The scene after Tyrah Adam’s tragic death (Picture: Wave 3)

Craig Greenburg, the mayor of Louisville, said in February: ‘A woman, who could not be seen by the crew, was in some of this garbage that was picked up and moved to another location before it was hauled away. And in the course of that, again unseen, the woman suffered injuries.’

However, the family’s lawyer, Stephanie Rivas, said: ‘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.’

A police report last month supported witness statements that claimed the person operating the grappler got off the machine at the time of the incident and then returned to the truck. 

The witnesses said Adams got up and walked to a nearby store, severely injured and unable to speak, before collapsing in the doorway. Neither worker called the emergency services, according to police records.

‘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, per Wave 3.

The family of Tyrah Adams are shocked by response of workers (Picture: Wave 3)

Rivas said the lawsuit is partly about access to information being held back from the family.

‘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 told local media that it cannot comment while the investigation is ongoing, but 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.

The mayor’s press spokesperson was approached for comment.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Comments Add as preferred source