Who was Larry Virden? Amazon worker who died in tornado was told to wait at facility
One of the victims killed when a tornado hit an Amazon warehouse, Larry Virden, in Illinois had messaged his girlfriend saying that the company had asked him to stay back until the storm passed. The 46-year-old died last week after the roof of a massive Amazon facility came down due to the deadly tornado. Larry E. Virden's family said that he was an Army Veteran who had signed up as an Amazon delivery driver only some months ago.
“I got text messages from him. He always tells me when he is filling up the Amazon truck when he is getting ready to go back…I was like ‘ OK, I love you.’ He’s like, ‘well Amazon won’t let me leave until after the storm blows over,’” Virden's girlfriend of 13 years, Cherie Jones, told New York Post.
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Jones said that she received the message at around 8:23 pm, which is about 16 minutes before the tornado hit. Jones said that the two of them lived in nearby Collinsville, which is reportedly about 13 minutes away from the warehouse. “We heard the tornado didn’t touch down until 8:39 so he had 20 minutes to get home,” she said. "I messaged him and that was the last text message I got from him. I told him where we live, it was only lightning at the time. After that, I got nothing from him.”
Etheria S. Hebb, 34; Deandre S. Morrow, 28, of St. Louis, Mo.; Kevin D. Dickey, 62, of Carlyle, Ill.; Clayton Lynn Cope, 29, of Alton, Ill.; Larry E. Virden, 46, of Collinsville, Ill.; and Austin J. McEwen, 26, of Edwardsville, IIll, died when the deadly tornado struck at the Edwardsville facility.
Who was Larry Virden?
Larry Virden had worked for Amazon for five months. He was the father of four children, including adopted children. Jones and Virden had three children together between the ages of nine and 12. He was a US Army veteran who served in Iraq. Jones, when asked if she blames Amazon for his death, said, "Not really. But it’s that what-if situation: what if they would have let him leave? He could have made it home.”
“My oldest boy, he thinks that daddy is going to come home, but now we have to tell him that daddy’s not coming home. When my daughter came into the house, she was like ‘Where’s daddy? Where’s daddy?’ And she started balling because she knew something was wrong," Jones said. "The youngest doesn’t understand it either. We are really going to have to sit down with them.”
Amazon has previously prevented workers from bringing their phones into the warehouse. The employees, therefore, had to leave their phones in employee lockers or in their vehicles. The company backed off on the policy during the pandemic. “After these deaths, there is no way in hell I am relying on Amazon to keep me safe,” an Amazon employee from a neighboring facility in Illinois, said. “If they institute the no cell phone policy, I am resigning.”
On Sunday, December 12, Amazon confirmed that it is donating $1 million to the Edwardsville Community Foundation to support recovery efforts. “We’re deeply saddened by the news that members of our Amazon family passed away as a result of the storm in Edwardsville, IL. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their loved ones, and everyone impacted by the tornado. We also want to thank all the first responders for their ongoing efforts on scene. We’re continuing to provide support to our employees and partners in the area," Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement.