CHICAGO — A lawsuit against Amazon is expected to be filed Monday by the family of a delivery driver who was killed in December after a tornado hit an Amazon warehouse downstate, according to a news release from the law firm retained by the family.
Six people who had been working at an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville died following the Dec. 10 storm, which left dozens dead across multiple states. Among them was independent contractor Austin McEwen, 26, who, like other workers, was allegedly required to work under conditions management knew to be unsafe, according to the news release. The facility had inadequate emergency plans and no basement shelter, the lawsuit contends, and McEwen and others who died were told to shelter in a bathroom during the storm.
A spokeswoman for Amazon disputed those claims in a statement, saying members of a local team “worked to move people to safety as quickly as possible.”
