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EDWARDSVILLE – Renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump of Ben Crump Law and Attorney Jennifer Hightower stood with the victims of the deadly Amazon warehouse collapse that occurred on Dec. 10, 2021, when tornadoes touched down in Edwardsville, during a Tuesday news conference at Mount Joy Baptist Church in Edwardsville. The mother of DeAndre Morrow, who lost his life that day, spoke about the loss of her son for the first time.

On April 26, 2022, OSHA issued a hazard alert letter to Amazon, detailing critical and potentially life-saving improvements to be made at the Edwardsville warehouse, where six contractors were killed and many were traumatized when this tragedy occurred.

Crump and Hightower also had PTSD victims Jamarco Hickman, Evan Jensen, Jada Williams, and Deontae Yancey present at the press event.

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Deandre Morrow’s mother, Deon January, said Amazon told her son to remain in the warehouse even with knowledge of a potential devastating tornado with no shelter and he died when the building collapsed.

She admitted the tornado was “by chance,” but she said Amazon’s cruelty “was by choice.”

Morrow’s family and the four survivors of the tornado have filed a lawsuit against Amazon and said much more could have been done to keep the employees safe. It was also mentioned that federal investigators have recommended changes Amazon should make for the future but have not fined or cited them in the situation. Amazon has said it is considering the recommendations. Amazon has said the building was built to code.

Crump said at the press conference that Amazon “did not build this warehouse with a solid foundation.”

Full details from the press event are in the video.

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