Parents of Amazon worker sue company for wrongful death

In a tornado that struck an Amazon warehouse in  Edwardsville, Illinois last month, six victims were killed. One of them was Austin McEwen and his parents said in a press conference that they are suing Amazon for their son's wrongful death. McEwen's parents allege that Amazon, as well as a construction company and a real estate developer associated with the facility, failed to exercise reasonable care to protect its workers like their son from sustaining injuries or death. The warehouse facility faced structural damage after it was struck by an EF-3 tornado on 10 December 2021 and McEwen, 26 worked as an independent contractor making deliveries for Amazon. According to a copy of the lawsuit, during the incident, he sought shelter in a bathroom at the facility. 

During the press conference held over Zoom, Austin's mother Alice McEwen said that Amazon opted to not evacuate workers from the facility in a timely manner as it sought them to keep fulfilling orders. She added, "It appears that Amazon placed profits first during this holiday season instead of the safety of our son and the other five families who lost loved ones."

Kelly Nantel, a spokesperson for Amazon said in a statement that the company will defend against the lawsuit and added that Amazon's "focus continues to be on supporting our employees and partners, the families who lost loved ones, the surrounding community, and all those affected by the tornadoes." Nantel said that while severe weather conditions are common in the area, it is not common for businesses to shut down operations in anticipation of severe storms. 

Source: CNN