The family of a person killed in consequence of Hurricane Helene floodwaters in Tennessee has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging his employer “selected greed over the security of its employees.”
Johnny Peterson, 55, was among the many Impact Plastics employees who died on Sept. 27 after Helene’s flooding hit the small, rural town of Erwin in eastern Tennessee.
Surviving employees said they weren’t told they may leave until the factory lost power, and their cars had already been overtaken by water.
“They’d no emergency motion plan, despite the factory being positioned in a federally-designated flood plan,” the 28-page lawsuit filed on behalf of Peterson’s next of kin, Alexa Peterson, by attorney Alex Little in Unicoi County states.
The court-filed documents also allege Impact Plastics CEO Gerald O’Connor Jr. “and other senior management had stealthily exited the constructing out of the back door after securing some business documents from their very own private offices.”
The suit states Peterson was the daddy of 4 children, with Alexa being the oldest, and that he had climbed into the bed of a semi-trailer in an try to escape.
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“He texted his daughter for the last time at 1:17 p.m. ‘I really like you allllll,’ he managed to type out. This was the last text Alexa Peterson received from her father,” the suit states.
Peterson is one among five Impact Plastic employees who died in consequence of Helene floodwaters, Knox News reports.
Peterson is described as a loving father whose “passing is an immense loss to his family and the community,” an announcement from Litson PLLC states.
“Impact Plastics was aware of the flood risks, and while employees requested permission to go away, the corporate did not act. We’ll hold them accountable,” the statement reads.
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The attorney FOX Business was referred to for comment in regards to the lawsuit said he had “no additional information at the moment,” but a previously shared statement to Fox News Digital quoted O’Connor stating, “We’re devastated by the tragic lack of great employees.”
Original article source: Tennessee CEO fled Helene while some employees who were ordered to remain later drowned, lawsuit alleges