Video obtained by WJZ shows a fatal incident in which a Baltimore DPW worker was pinned by a garbage truck

BALTIMORE — WJZ has obtained video of a tragic incident in which a garbage truck struck a Baltimore City DPW worker, killing him on the job Friday.

The worker, Timothy Cartwell, died from shock trauma, and his death came amid heightened scrutiny of the Department of Public Works’ safety record following the death of another worker over the summer.

Video shows tragedy

The picture shows the large white garbage truck slowly driving down an alley behind Monroe Street just before 10:30 a.m. Friday morning.

It jerks forward several times.

At one point on the way to Baker Street, Cartwell becomes trapped when the truck passes a wooden utility pole. The video shows colleagues coming to his aid.

A fire engine is on site within a few minutes.

“That could be me”

“It’s just like, wow, you know, that could be me. You know, it could be any of us. Every single day we come out here is very dangerous,” said Cartwell’s colleague, who asked WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren not to show his face and hide his voice for fear he could lose his job for speaking out .

The colleague said he last saw Cartwell two days before his death.

“We had a meeting on Wednesday about security. So we walked past me. He looked at me, you know. He smiled. … He’s a leader,” he said. “There’s no way he should be dead now.”

Cartwell’s colleague said there is little safety training on the dangers of working in narrow alleys. He told Hellgren that he picked up trash on the same route, but the trash cans were often pulled out onto the street so the big truck didn’t have to maneuver through the narrow streets.

WJZ saw marks on the utility pole that trapped the victim.

“This is very shocking to me, man. Every time I look at the alley it’s just ‘Wow,'” he said. “…If you knew you couldn’t get past that truck, I wouldn’t try.”

Cameras on trucks

Cartwell’s colleague said newer trucks have multiple cameras, but not all are equipped equally.

“There are cameras on the side of the trucks, the new trucks now, there are cameras on both sides – a camera on the front of the truck and also on the back, but some of the cameras don’t work. Some of them “trucks are old,” he said. “I think they actually need to put them on all the trucks.”

He also told WJZ, “It’s very heartbreaking that this is happening. I just hope his family gets the answers they need.”

Second worker death

Sanitation workers are already reeling from the death of Ronald Silver II, who collapsed while working in the heat in August. An investigation revealed lack of safety training, poor working conditions and retaliation against whistleblowers.

Silver’s family told WJZ through their attorney, Thiru Vignarajah, “The men who collect our garbage for minimum wage deserve better than empty words and platitudes from politicians. When change occurs, it is obviously not happening quickly enough or seriously enough. We cry with and for another.” Family suffers heartache that should never have happened.

Multiple investigations

Baltimore police are investigating Cartwell’s death along with a state investigation by the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MOSH).

DPW has scheduled a safety meeting with workers for Tuesday morning.

“We are devastated by the loss of a member of our DPW family, Timothy Cartwell,” Mayor Scott tweeted. “I have spoken with members of his family and expressed the grief that the entire city of Baltimore shares with them.”

The AFSCME union, which represents DPW workers, posted on Facebook: “Our Maryland AFSCME family mourns the loss of Timothy Cartwell, a dedicated city employee, who passed away as a result of a tragic workplace accident. Our thoughts are with Cartwell’s family and his co-workers, and we are working with the city to understand the circumstances that led to this tragedy.