A comprehensive investigation conducted by Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan J. Bates has laid bare the shortcomings of the Department of Public Works (DPW) in connection with a fatal truck collision that claimed the life of Timothy Cartwell in 2024, as reported by the State’s Attorney’s Office. The tragic event unfolded on N. Monroe Street, where Mr. Cartwell, a DPW employee of twenty years, suffered life-threatening injuries leading to his untimely demise.
Disconcerting details emerged from the review with findings including a DPW supervisor giving the truck driver permission to depart the scene before police arrival and the administering of a breathalyzer test nearly seven hours after the incident on a purportedly antiquated device, thus casting doubts on the acceptability of the results in a legal context, despite the protocol demanding such tests be performed within two hours of an accident, “Due to DPW’s actions, we do not have the evidence we would need to adequately investigate and determine if the driver’s actions meet the legal thresholds of Criminally Negligent Manslaughter or Grossly Negligent Manslaughter,” Bates was quoted in the State’s Attorney’s Office news release. The inquiry also shed light on DPW's lapse in training Mr. Cartwell on safety protocols, which stands in violation of the department's own policies.
An initial 911 call, placed at approximately 10:20 a.m. on the date of the incident for a "sick case," did not immediately trigger a police response, and it wasn't until DPW contacted the Baltimore Police Department that an officer was dispatched due to the requirement of a police report. The accident spot was not preserved, which relegated investigators to rely on measures such as measurements and interviews and as such evidence scrutinized included surveillance footage which captured the incident in which Mr. Cartwell directed the trash truck to "go go," shortly before collapsing between the truck and a fence right after the truck moved forward, contrastingly another voice, presumably Mr. Cartwell’s partner, is then heard saying, “Go forward,” as echoed in interviews and in the official report.
In the aftermath of the accident, the truck driver, emotionally agitated and declaring he intended to quit, was permitted to leave the scene, a move not in alignment with DPW regulations and one that hampered law enforcement's ability to potentially require the driver to provide a blood sample under suspicion of impairment; this critical error and the overall missteps by the DPW have gravely hindered legal proceedings.
