Composite story
Louisville fires two Public Works employees after Tyrah Adams's death
Louisville, KentuckyPublished 5 Sep 2026
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A supervisor and a crew member were terminated Sept. 3 after an internal investigation found they did not call 911 or render aid when a city claw truck picked Adams up in February.
Louisville Metro fired Solid Waste Supervisor Troy Debose and another Public Works employee on Sept. 3 after an internal investigation found they did not call 911 or check on Tyrah Adams, 35, who died Feb. 12 after a hydraulic claw picked her up while she slept in a Russell alley. A third employee retired. Mayor Craig Greenberg called the death a tragic accident. Adams's family said the firings took too long and continues a wrongful death suit. The county attorney previously declined criminal charges.
Disputed facts
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Disputed opinions
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Louisville Metro Government fires 2 Public Works employees after unhoused woman's death
Published 4 Sep 2026 accessed 5 Sep 2026
Facts
Solid Waste Supervisor Troy Debose was one of the employees terminated.
Adams died Feb. 12.
According to the notice, the city began investigating for potential violations June 11 after Louisville Metro Police finished its inquiry.
The incident was in the vicinity of Eddy Street, an alley near South 26th Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard.
The incident was in Louisville's Russell neighborhood.
Aug. 18 records say audio captured the driver acknowledging that the claw had contacted a person.
The driver acknowledged that they needed to call a supervisor to the scene.
Rivas said Adams struggled to get up and make her way to a nearby store for help.
Opinion
No opinion marked.
Louisville Metro fires two employees involved in dump truck killing
Published 4 Sep 2026 accessed 5 Sep 2026
Facts
The work was a West End alley cleanup.
After being released from the claw, Adams went into a nearby business.
A two-person crew was operating a dump truck with a hydraulic claw.
HR found the employees violated six policies, including general standards of safety and health and treating the public with respect.
HR also found the supervisor violated accident and investigation procedures that require accidents to be thoroughly investigated.
HR Director Ernestine Booth-Henry and Assistant Director Ann Triebsch wrote the letter to Public Works officials.
That accident-procedure violation is not listed in the supervisor's termination letter.
Police found the supervisor met the crew in the alley before approaching the convenience store Adams went to.
The lawsuit alleges the employees knew or should have known that people experiencing homelessness tended to gather in that area.
The lawsuit also accuses the employees of violating internal policies on operating heavy machinery safely.
The termination letters did not directly address heavy-machinery operating policies.
Stephanie Rivas, an attorney representing the family, did not immediately respond to LPM’s request for comment on the firings.
Opinion
No opinion marked.
2 Louisville Metro workers fired in death of woman killed by garbage truck
Published 4 Sep 2026 accessed 5 Sep 2026
Facts
Adams was sleeping in an alley when the claw picked her up.
HR said the workers were clearing vacant lots and alleys when they picked up a pile of debris in a vacant lot.
Truck-camera audio recorded a person screaming and a worker saying he had almost picked up a homeless person in the pile.
Records show the employees did not get out of the truck to inspect the pile before using the claw.
The memo said the employees alleged they did not detect Adams during their initial assessment.
Solid Waste Manager James Peasant told investigators that checking the piles was not required by policy.
The employees' initial statements said Adams got up a few minutes later and left the scene walking normally.
One worker noticed movement after the pile was lifted and realized a person had been caught.
The employees asked Adams if she was okay, but she did not respond.
The memo said the employees reported the incident to their manager and supervisor.
A police report says nearby business video shows the truck's hydraulic claw picking up a large pile of trash.
HR sent a memo to Public Works Director Wes Sydnor, assistant director Julie Toler, and Deputy Mayor Nicole George.
The claw operator stepped off the truck, walked toward the pile, returned to the driver's seat, and pulled the truck forward.
Adams's family said it should not have taken this long for the city to act, but that it was about time.
The Jefferson County coroner's report said Adams died of extensive crushing injuries from the truck's claw.
Witnesses said Adams walked to the nearby J&M Food Mart in bad condition after being dropped near the alley.
Another person in the store also called 911.
People who knew Adams said she often slept in a large cardboard box near trash.
The coroner noted cocaine and fentanyl in Adams's system but ruled the cause of death was compressional trauma, including broken bones and internal injuries.
The family noted the incident was Feb. 12 and the personnel action came Sept. 3, almost seven months later.
That caller told EMS that Adams was turning colors.
The family acknowledged the city's confirmation that the employees never called 911 or checked on Adams after the incident.
The family acknowledged the firings for policy, safety, and training violations and a lack of respect for the community.
The Jefferson County Attorney's Office said Aug. 7 the employees would not face criminal charges.
Adams's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in May against Louisville Metro, Public Works, and the sanitation workers involved.
The family said criminal charging decisions are distinct from civil accountability and will not resolve the full responsibility owed.
The family said it will continue to push for justice and accountability in Adams's death.
Opinion
Adams's family said the city's action took too long.
The family said termination is not the same as full accountability.
The family said internal policy findings and firings do not answer how this happened, why it was not prevented, or what safeguards come next.
The family said the city's account is very troubling.
The family asked whether the city acted only because the family demanded answers.
Louisville Public Works employees fired after garbage truck death
Published 4 Sep 2026 accessed 5 Sep 2026
Facts
Video from inside the garbage truck showed the crew's delayed response, including employees laughing as Adams stumbled away from the alley.
Nearly 30 minutes after Adams was injured, surveillance showed the supervisor arriving and approaching the store before turning around.
Adams later collapsed inside a nearby convenience store while seeking help.
The supervisor later told police he turned around because the ambulance did not have its emergency lights on.
Adams stumbled away from the alley.
The family planned to amend their complaint to include the supervisor and a Public Works manager.
Opinion
Sandra Akers, Adams's sister, said seeing her sister treated like that in the claw was horrifying.
Akers said she hoped for one thing to go right and that there was nothing.
Louisville Public Works employees fired after garbage truck death of Tyrah Adams
Published 4 Sep 2026 accessed 5 Sep 2026
Facts
A city statement said thoughts continue to be with Adams's family and everyone impacted by this tragic accident.
Opinion
Stephanie Rivas, Adams's family attorney, said the workers should have checked the area.
Rivas said the employees should have known to inspect the area before they started work.
Rivas said that if the employees had inspected, Adams would not have been picked up by the claw.
The family said internal policy findings and employment decisions do not answer how this happened, why it was not prevented, or what safeguards come next.