De'Andre Morrow, a victim of the Edwardsville tornado, and the partially-destroyed Amazon warehouse/Photo Courtesy of KMOV
Last Friday, a tornado struck an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, causing the building to collapse and leading to the death of six people. The family of DeAndre Morrow, a 28-year-old victim of the disaster, has since hired famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump to represent them, KMOV reported, along with Bob Hillard, a personal injury lawyer.
The fatal tornado hit the warehouse at around 8:30 P.M. on Friday. According to CNN, one worker recalled the frightening account, saying, “It sounded like a train came through the building. The ceiling tiles came flying down. It [was] very loud. They made us shelter in place till we left – it was at least two and a half hours in there.”
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Jeff Bezos, who recently stepped down as CEO at Amazon in favor of being an executive chairman at the company, tweeted about the tragic incident on the following day, saying, “The news from Edwardsville is tragic. We’re heartbroken over the loss of our teammates there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones.”
“All of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team is committed to supporting them and will be by their side through this crisis. We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site,” he
added in a second tweet.
Looking into whether Amazon adequately warned their employees about the disastrous tornado, Crump reportedly said in a statement, “The family members we represent are deeply distraught and want answers to their questions. We are seeking to determine if Amazon did everything in its power to warn employees of the incoming danger from the tornado and provide a designated safe area for employees to shelter.
“Just three years ago, a tornado struck an Amazon warehouse in Baltimore, Maryland, killing two people. Were lessons learned from that tragedy turned into new policies, and were they followed here?” the 52-year-old continued.
“We are asking Amazon employees who worked at the fulfillment center to assist us with our investigation and help us understand what warnings were given and what procedures followed. And we commend the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for opening an investigation into workplace safety at the facility.”
An Amazon spokesperson reportedly wrote in an email that they are in support of the investigation.