Amazon is being sued by the household of supply driver Austin McEwan who died within the Edwardsville, Illinois warehouse struck by a twister final month, CNET has reported. The lawsuit alleges that Amazon was negligent, citing the truth that it informed folks to maintain working by means of excessive climate warnings. It additionally makes claims of negligence in opposition to contractors who helped construct the warehouse.
McEwan was considered one of six folks killed when the warehouse roof was hit by a twister and collapsed. The household of sufferer Deandre Morrow has additionally retained a lawyer. “Sadly, it appears that Amazon placed profits first during this holiday season instead of the safety of our son and the other five,” mentioned McEwan’s mom, Alice McKewan in a press conference.
“Severe weather watches are common in this part of the country and, while precautions are taken, are not cause for most businesses to close down,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel informed CNET in a press release. “We believe our team did the right thing as soon as a warning was issued.” The firm mentioned that the warehouse was constructed 4 years in the past in accordance with constructing code necessities.
Edwardsville is in a area often called Wind Zone IV, part of the US most in danger from tornadoes. The National Weather Service warned of a twister menace 36 hours earlier than they struck, and the morning earlier than the storms, it cautioned of the “likely threat” of “damaging winds in excess of 60 mph.”
During the identical incident, an Amazon dispatcher pressured a driver to ship packages amid twister alarms, threatening her with termination. Amazon mentioned that the dispatcher “didn’t follow the standard safety practice” and may have directed the motive force to hunt shelter. Meanwhile, Democrats have pressed Amazon for particulars on the warehouse deaths, saying in a letter that the incident “fit a larger pattern” of Amazon placing security in danger “in everyday situations and emergencies alike.”
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