UPDATE: Trash Center Tragedy
PUTNAM COUNTY – On December 4, 2025, Jennifer Lynn Ellison, 48, of Sparta, Tennessee, lost her life in a devastating workplace accident. While working at the Putnam County Waste Transfer Station in Cookeville Mrs. Ellison was pinned between a concrete wall and her 2019 Western Star roll-off truck.
Body Cam footage obtained first by the Patriot Punk Network showed the aftermath of the incident, including statements about questionable methods of closing the doors of the dumpsters.
According to witness statements provided to the Cookeville Police, the accident occurred when the County’s CAT 950m loader was used to assist in closing the rear hatch of a stuck dumpster hatch.
Doug Ashburn, the County Solid Waste Director, is seen on camera stating:
“she emptied the can in the building, pulled up outside the building, went to shut the can, couldn’t get the door shut to it, and the practice normally is, we just kinda, where they’re worn out and stuff and they’ll take the loader and just mash it up. And we do that for everybody.”
According to other statements made to police, Jennifer Ellison attempted to climb into the cab to stop it but was pinned between the vehicle and the wall in the process.
She suffered severe internal injuries and emergency responders airlifted her to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, where she passed away.
The video is embedded below—viewer discretion is strongly advised.
UPDATES:
Though the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) investigation has not been released yet, new records indicate the vehicle Jennifer Ellison was assigned that day may have had issues with the rear brakes.
Daily Vehicle inspection logs show this was the first day that week Mrs. Ellison drove the 2019 Western Star, and that it passed all pre-operational inspections.
However, just one week AFTER Ellison’s death, on 12/11/25, a maintenance invoice shows that vehicle #20, the Western Star Jennifer Ellison was driving the day she died, received a near-complete rear brake overhaul.
The invoice from Walker’s Diesel Service reads “Checked brakes and replaced all rear shoes, drums, slack adjusters, left rear wheel seal and right rear brake chamber…”
There was also additional work performed on the vehicle, including a crankcase sensor and repairing wiring, however these are unlikely to have had any influence on the accident.
No other vehicle had this kind of brake work done at the time, indicating whatever issues present were specific to this truck and not part of routine fleet-wide maintenance.
Additionally, since only the left seal and the right chambers were replaced and not both seals and both chambers, it seems unlikely to be coincidental.
The county has declined to comment pending the outcome of the TOSHA investigation, but Mayor Randy Porter did send his condolences to the family in a statement to the Herald Citizen – though the family says they were unaware until reading of it in the paper.
Prior to our reporting on this story, the only public indication something occurred at the Solid Waste Facility was a job listing, posted less than two weeks after Mrs. Ellison passed away.
For full transparency, the entire maintenance log we obtained is available for download below. For clarity, our request asked for all maintenance logs for 2025.
Review them yourself as we await the findings of the TOSHA investigation. The family deserve answers, accountability, and real change to prevent this from happening again.
If you enjoy the work we do and reporting we offer please consider supporting us.
