Did ‘concerning’ construction issues lead to Amazon tornado collapse? Attorney says yes.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 12:51 p.m. with a statement from Contegra.
An Amazon warehouse that collapsed in a December tornado and killed six people had “structural deficiencies,” lawyers of a family suing the e-commerce giant said Monday.
Attorneys for Alice and Randy McEwen, parents of Austin McEwen, 26, of Edwardsville, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in Madison County Circuit Court in January following the Dec. 10 tornado. Austin McEwen was an independent contractor who worked as an Amazon delivery driver.
The EF-3 tornado hit the 1.1-million-square-foot Amazon warehouse on Gateway Commerce Drive, along Interstate 255. Winds of up to 150 miles per hour caused the concrete walls and roof to collapse.
Attorney Jack Casciato said government documents obtained through an open records request showed an engineer found “columns improperly and inadequately” supporting the structure. The engineer was part of the St. Louis Urban Area Security Initiative, according to the attorney. The initiative is an emergency response program paid for by Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The engineer found that “a considerable number of the columns” were not standing and “appeared to have been lifted out of the floor.” The storm seemingly ripped the columns out from the base, Casciato said, citing the engineer’s report. The engineer found no “weld or bolted connection at the base of any column.”
“We were very concerned about the stability of the remaining walls and suspended steel work,” the engineer reported, according to the attorney.
The engineer said the integrity of the columns was “especially concerning” because International Building Code calls for structural pieces to be “secured against uplift from wind loads.”
Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said it’s too soon to know if there were “structural issues” in the building. The company is conducting its own investigation on the collapse.
“Investigators continue to conduct a comprehensive forensic examination of the building and debris — so it’s premature and misleading to suggest there were any structural issues,” Nantel said in an emailed statement. “The original developer completed construction on this building in 2018 in compliance with all applicable building codes as documented by the city and the original owner. The building was re-inspected and passed City inspections in 2020 when Amazon leased the building.”
The company has welcomed an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. That investigation was ongoing as of mid-April.
The lawsuit names Amazon as well as the companies that constructed the warehouse as defendants: Contegra Construction Co. in Edwardsville and TriStar Properties in St. Louis. A lawyer for Contegra said the company wouldn’t comment on “specifics of the lawsuit,” but said the lawsuit is “without merit.”
“We stand behind our company’s record of quality construction. We are not aware of any code violations at the Amazon fulfillment center,” said St. Louis attorney Michael Wilson.” We are heartbroken by the devastation of the tornado to our community and those who lost their lives or property, and we believe the allegations in this lawsuit against Contegra are without merit. Contegra will vigorously defend our company’s work and our reputation.”
Representatives from the TriStar did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
Casciato, a partner at Clifford Law Offices, plans to hold a news conference Tuesday to discuss the documents.
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 12:44 PM.
