The parents of Austin McEwen , one of six employees killed when an Amazon warehouse collapsed in a tornado last month, have sued the company over their son's wrongful death.
McEwen's parents allege that Amazon, as well as a construction company associated with the facility that suffered damage after the tornado struck on December 10, 2021, failed to protect workers, like their son, from injury or death.
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According to the family's attorney, McEwen, 26, was delivering for Amazon and was working that day despite tornado warnings in the area. The unfortunate worker sought shelter in a bathroom at the facility, according to a copy of the lawsuit.
Alice McEwen, Austin's mother, said Amazon chose not to evacuate the space in a timely manner, and kept employees there to fulfill and ship orders.
"It appears that Amazon put profits first during this holiday season, and not the safety of our son and the five other families who lost loved ones," he said.
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In a statement to CNN Business Monday, Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantelsaid the company would defend itself, stressing 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 impacted by the tornadoes."
Nantel said the lawsuit presents some different facts regarding the condition and safety of the building, as well as the warnings that had been issued about the severe weather conditions. She also noted that severe weather warnings are common in the area and that it is not common for businesses to close and suspend operations in anticipation of severe storms.
The government's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which investigates workplace safety incidents, opened an investigation into the Amazon facility collapse last month. The agency has six months to complete the investigation.
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The family's lawyer stated that as early as December 9, it was very clear that this area could be at risk of a tornado and that there had been several warnings.
“The question Amazon will have to answer is: Why were these workers present at this facility?” the lawyer said.
Source: edition.cnn.com
