Families of Factory Workers Killed by Hurricane Helene After Being Ordered to Stay Get Fast Food Gift Cards As Condolence

Managers at a Tennessee plastic factory allegedly refused to allow employees to leave work during Hurricane Helene, resulting in the death of six workers after flooding from the hurricane hit the factory. The company then sent their families fast food gift cards as condolences.

An Impact Plastics factory in eastern Tennessee was badly hit by flooding on Sept. 27 as a result of Hurricane Helene, which tore through the southeast. One family who filed a lawsuit against Impact Plastics and its founder, Gerald O'Connor, states that the company "simply told employees to move their cars to higher ground" when they asked to leave as flooding worsened.

"I want everyone who made a choice that day and made a wrong choice to answer for their actions," said Alexa Peterson, the oldest daughter of Johnny Peterson, a worker who died in the flooding. "I want to hear what their explanation was and why they made the choices that they made."

"While most businesses in the area shut down to protect their employees, Impact Plastics and Mr. O'Connor chose profit," reads the lawsuit obtained by WSMV. "They had no emergency action plan, despite the factory being located in a federally designated flood plain. They ignored every warning, putting lives in danger to fill an order."

Following the incident, families of the deceased workers reported receiving fast-food gift cards from the company as a form of condolences.

Guillermo Mendoza, the son of deceased factory worker Bertha Mendoza, was shocked to receive gift cards alongside his mother's last paycheck.

"It had some McDonald's gift cards," Guillermo Mendoza said, crying as he described receiving the envelope.

"It was like, 'Your mom died, but go get a burger,'" Guillermo Mendoza said. "'It happened, so here is a little snack.'"

Mendoza received multiple gift cards to various places, including McDonalds, Walmart and a fast-food chain called Pal's. They added up to $100 total.

"I was shocked, and it bothered me," said Robert Jarvis, an employee who survived the flooding and also received gift cards. "That is how they treated us and what they thought about us."

"Obviously, we are very upset," Guillermo Mendoza said.

"We are trying to find out how to move forward," he continued.

Originally published by Latin Times.