Family outraged after report into death of Baltimore sanitation worker finds DPW negligence

No charges will be filed in the death of Timothy Cartwell, a Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW)  employee struck and killed by a trash truck nearly a year ago.

An investigation by the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office found widespread negligence from the Department of Public Works contributed to the death of 46-year-old Timothy Cartwell, a veteran DPW worker who suffered pelvic fractures and other serious injuries when a trash truck crushed him on the job in November 2024. 

The incident, which unfolded in a narrow alley off Monroe Street in West Baltimore, was captured on surveillance video that WJZ Investigates obtained. 

"Unfortunately, due to the gross negligence of DPW's actions, this investigation is tainted and our office cannot proceed and cannot make a determination," State's Attorney Ivan Bates said Wednesday.

The investigation

Bates' investigation relied in part on that surveillance video and eyewitness accounts. He cited "the gross negligence of DPW's actions" and said they "tainted" the investigation.

Bates' report revealed:

• DPW supervisor allowed the trash truck's driver to leave the scene
• DPW failed to get him a proper blood alcohol test
• DPW failed to train employees on safety protocols 

The massive garbage trucks had only seven inches of clearance on either side in the narrow alley where Cartwell was fatally injured. 

The truck driver had his side mirrors turned inward so he could fit. 

The investigation revealed that, after the incident, the garbage truck driver "was agitated, saying 'I quit. I quit.'" A supervisor allowed him to leave in a Lyft. 

The Lyft operator told prosecutors, "The driver was on his phone and very upset, stating, 'I'm done with this job. I'm going to quit.'"

It took seven hours to get a blood alcohol test, which the report said was not reliable and was conducted on "1970s-era" equipment that resembled something out of the children's show Inspector Gadget.

The state's attorney cited multiple "missteps" and found, "Due to DPW's actions, we do not have the evidence we would need…" to file criminal charges. He found no evidence of moving violations or that the driver of the truck was impaired.

Cartwell family's reaction 

Cornelius Carroll, Timothy Cartwell's brother, told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren, "I am angry. I'm frustrated. I'm pissed. There are a lot of other adjectives I could use, but that wouldn't be right at this moment. It's disgusting to read that report and for them to acknowledge that everything was done incorrectly and protocol was not followed, and they did nothing."

He is still struggling to come to terms with his brother's death. 

"They took an all-around good guy, fun-loving, family-oriented," Cornelius Cartwell said. "He was the best big brother anyone ever had."

Cornelius Carroll questioned whether DPW has really changed its training practices. 

"What training have you done? What was put in place, not on paper, but in action?" he asked. 

Cornelius Carroll's wife, Shantae Carroll, called it "disrespectful" to say her late brother-in-law, who had 20 years on the job, was not properly trained. She noted the driver of the garbage truck had only been on the job for a few months.

"A lot of things are taking place, and it's mind-boggling and it's heartbreaking to even listen to this foolishness," she said. 

The family previously spoke exclusively to WJZ about Cartwell days after his death.

The family's lawyer, Wesley Payne, told Hellgren, "Having drivers going down narrow alleyways where they're turning their mirrors in and they can't use them—could you imagine going down a street without using your mirror on your car? It's just bonkers. It's crazy. It's a situation that's designed for a gross accident like this to happen, and that's exactly what happened."

Payne said he wants to make sure there is real change in the Department of Public Works. 

"People make mistakes," Payne said. "This driver obviously made some very serious mistakes. They ended up killing Mr. Cartwell, and those things should be able to be addressed in a court of law. In this circumstance, they will not be able to, but DPW going forward should be able to correct its procedures so that these mistakes don't happen again."

The mayor says the driver lied

The criticism of the city agency drew a sharp response from Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott.

"I can say that the driver of the truck lied when initially asked about what happened. When his supervisor was notified about what actually happened, the driver was told to report for alcohol and drug screening," Mayor Scott said. "Obviously, I can't talk to you about the results of that, but he was ultimately fired and no longer works for the city of Baltimore. We held him accountable for every way that the city of Baltimore is directly responsible for. Decisions about whether to prosecute or not are up to the state's attorney."

New DPW director Matthew Garbark said things have changed and the agency is safer. 

"We have put a tremendous amount of training in place. All of our workers don't go out on the site yet until there is a week or two where they are on test routes, and they actually get trained in this area, so I can tell you—I don't know how or when that individual may or may not have been trained—but I can tell you now that everyone is trained fully before they ever get on a truck," Garbark said.

Patrick Moran, the president of AFSCME Council 3, the union representing sanitation workers, told WJZ, "Today's report from the state's attorney's office reveals what we sadly already know—that Baltimore City and the Department of Public Works failed on multiple levels to keep its workers safe."

Moran added, "In our most recent tentative agreement, our union has negotiated enhanced contract language—including additional health and safety trainings, a health and safety committee, and mandatory health and safety plans for all agencies—to keep AFSCME members safe on the job. However, more still needs to be done by the City to hold agency leaders accountable, ensure all investigations are done in a timely and thorough manner, and that tragedies like this never happen again."

DPW has faced increased scrutiny since the death of Ronald Silver, a sanitation worker who died working in the heat in August 2024.