A sad fact about the United States is that no matter where you go, you can find homeless people. From the richest suburbs to the poorest cities, thousands of people are dealing with being unhoused. It’s always so heartbreaking to see. When I was living in New York, I routinely encountered it and the sight never got any less devastating. It wasn’t just the fact that they didn’t have a home or food; it also was how disgustingly they were treated. Many of them had a myriad of mental illnesses, and because of that, they were regarded as nearly invisible. That invisibility has cost so many homeless people their dignity and, in some cases, their lives.
Tragically, a 35-year-old homeless woman identified as Tyrah Adams was part of that ‘invisible’ group.
Adams was reportedly in an alleyway in Louisville, Kentucky, when the hydraulic claw of a garbage truck picked her up during a “routine” debris removal and crushed her, according to Louisville Public Media, in February 2026. Operators allegedly did not see Adams until she was released from the claw. She later died from her injuries.
Mayor Craig Greenberg called the incident “a tragic accident” during a news conference, per the outlet, stating there was no evidence of wrongdoing.
Her family isn’t convinced that there was no ‘wrongdoing.’
Adams’ sister Sandra Akers said she had been struggling with substance abuse and the family had lost contact with Adams. They only recently discovered she was in Louisville’s Russell area.
“Why did this happen?” Akers posed. “If you are in operation of that truck, how did you not visualize that area? How did you not see if anybody was there?”
“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, told Fox 19.
Her family believes Adams was not dumped into the back of the truck but into another area where they were collecting trash.
Once Adams was released, the family thinks she ended up walking to a nearby store and that’s where someone called 911 for help.
Their attorney, who disagrees with the mayor’s statement about it being an accident, went on to say it was the machine operator’s responsibility to check the area before proceeding with pickup.
“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,” Rivas told Louisville Public Media. “This was completely preventable on their part.”
Akers said she was informed of her sister’s death by one of Adams’ friends and ultimately wants to see the city take responsibility for Adams’ death.
“I definitely think there is wrong in what has happened, you know, wrong is wrong,” Akers stated, per Louisville Public Media. “I want some answers and I want the city to be more aware of what they’re doing and who they’re around.”
