City leaders call it a tragic accident; relatives and their lawyer dispute that.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The family of Tyrah Adams, a 35-year-old woman who was homeless and often stayed in a west Louisville alley, is demanding answers after city sanitation crews picked her up with garbage-collection equipment during a routine cleanup and she later died, officials and relatives said.
The death has drawn scrutiny to how Louisville conducts alley cleanups in areas used for illegal dumping and, at times, as makeshift shelter. Mayor Craig Greenberg has said the incident appears to be a tragic accident with no evidence of wrongdoing, while the Louisville Metro Police Department’s Public Integrity Unit investigates. Adams’ relatives and their attorney say key details remain unclear, including what workers saw, what equipment was used in the moments before she was hurt, and what video might exist from the truck or nearby cameras.
Adams was injured on Thu., Feb. 12, during a cleanup in the 2500 block of Cedar Street near 26th Street, according to city statements and news reports. Police were dispatched around 9 a.m. to the area of 26th Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard for a report of a person down, but emergency medical crews took a woman to the hospital before officers arrived, officials said. Relatives and witnesses told the family’s attorney that Adams had been lifted by mechanical equipment on a city truck and then dropped elsewhere in the alley. Sandra Akers, Adams’ sister, said Adams managed to walk to a nearby convenience store, where a clerk called 911. “She had blood coming from her nose and mouth, she was unable to speak and disoriented,” Akers said in an interview, describing what she was told about Adams’ condition before she collapsed and was taken to a hospital.
Greenberg said crews were picking up trash in the alley and did not see Adams among the debris before she was picked up and moved, and that she suffered serious injuries and later died. Louisville Metro Public Works, in a statement, said the cleanup was routine and not prompted by complaints about a homeless encampment. The alley, the agency said, is a known illegal dumping site and was filled with trash that concealed Adams. Public Works said crews were using a dump truck and equipment known as a knuckle boom to clear debris. Police have described Adams’ injuries as coming from contact with equipment on a garbage truck, but the city has not publicly released a detailed account of each step in the cleanup, and officials have declined to answer some questions, citing the ongoing investigation.
Akers and other relatives say the gaps have been agonizing. Akers described her sister as a lively “free spirit” who “never met a stranger,” and said Adams was more than the circumstances of her last years. Adams had lived in Louisville for about three years, the family said, with periods of addiction and homelessness. Friends and people in the neighborhood checked on her regularly, Akers said, and she had recently talked with family about trying treatment again. “My mom really thought she was serious this time,” Akers said of a possible move into sober living. The family says that chance is now gone, and they want accountability from the city for how a person could be swept up during a cleanup meant to remove trash.
The family’s attorney, Stephanie Rivas, said her office has hired investigators to run a parallel inquiry while police conduct the official death investigation. Rivas said witnesses have told her team that Adams was not dumped into the back of a truck as trash, but was transported in the claw mechanism along with debris and then released. Rivas said Adams then walked to the convenience store for help. Rivas has publicly challenged the mayor’s conclusion that the incident was simply an accident, arguing that proper precautions should have prevented the equipment from being used without first ensuring no one was in the pickup area. “If the truck had been operated safely, this incident would not have occurred and Tyrah would still be here,” Rivas said in a statement and interviews, while noting that investigators are still working to confirm the full sequence of events.
Louisville Metro officials have said employees involved were placed on administrative leave, describing it as standard protocol during investigations. Beyond that, the city has offered limited specifics as detectives gather statements and review records. Public Works has also not said publicly whether the workers called 911 immediately after Adams was hurt, or at what point supervisors were notified. In interviews, Rivas has raised questions about what video may exist from the truck and the surrounding area, saying her team has not seen all potential footage. City officials have not released video, and there has been no public timeline for when investigators might provide findings or whether any disciplinary decisions will follow.
The incident has sharpened attention on a hard reality in parts of Louisville: alleys used for illegal dumping can also become places where people sleep, sometimes hidden by piles of debris. Public Works has said the Cedar Street alley is a known dumping site. Neighbors and relatives said Adams often stayed in a large cardboard box near trash in the area. For her family, that detail does not lessen the city’s responsibility; it heightens it. Akers said she wants officials to explain what safeguards are used when crews clear debris where people are known to be present and how workers are trained to spot someone who may be partially concealed.
A small memorial has grown near the place where Adams spent time, with flowers and messages left by people who knew her. Akers said she decided to speak publicly after seeing harsh comments online and what she viewed as an incomplete picture of her sister’s life. She described Adams as protective of younger siblings and the kind of person who brought energy into a room. Akers said the family had lost contact with Adams for stretches of time, but never stopped loving her, and relatives tried to keep hope that she would accept help. “Family was there. Family was trying, in the best way that we could,” Akers said. “All we could do was love her in the stages she was in and keep hope.”
As investigators review evidence, several central questions remain unanswered in public: exactly where Adams was positioned in the alley when crews began lifting debris; whether workers got out to check the area before using the equipment; how long it took for anyone to realize she had been picked up; and what records exist of radio calls, supervisor notifications, and video from truck-mounted or nearby cameras. The city has not said whether any citations or charges are being considered, and police have not announced a projected date for a final report. Greenberg has said there is no evidence of wrongdoing, but he has also said the death was a tragic loss.
For now, the case is being handled as a death investigation by the Public Integrity Unit, the branch that typically reviews incidents involving city employees. The family’s attorney has said her team will continue gathering witness accounts and seeking records while the official investigation proceeds. Akers said the family’s focus is on learning what happened, step by step, and on ensuring the city acknowledges mistakes if any are found. “I will not stop until I get answers,” she said.
Author note: Last updated February 20, 2026.