MEMPHIS, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) – Jeff Rosenblum has represented a number of families who have lost loved ones while they were working at the FedEx super hub. After the recent death of Duntate Young at the hub, he said families want more than just answers. They want change so this never happens to another person.
“It’s not just about suing somebody and getting rich,” Rosenblum said. “That’s not what this is about. This is about getting answers and helping families start to heal and helping companies understand where their deficits are and where they failed.”
Rosenblum represented the family of Ellen Gladney two years ago after she was killed at the FedEx hub. She died on Thanksgiving day after her body was dragged under equipment.
“I think FedEx has this mentality that you’ve got to get the package out, you’ve got to get the plane unloaded, you’ve got to get the next plane loaded so we can get the packages out and we can get them delivered on time,” Rosenblum said.
He said he thinks the company has a good business model, but it needs to prioritize the safety of its workers.
“When people start to die and people start to lose limbs because of this business model, it’s time to take a deep breath and slow down, figure out what they’re doing wrong and fix it,” Rosenblum said.
He said tragic accidents can happen, but he said the company needs to hold itself accountable for the accidents that happen and work to change the safety measures to avoid them.
“There are such things as tragic accidents where it’s nobody’s fault, it was just a tragic accident,” Rosenblum said. “Somebody slipped, somebody fell, something went wrong that was unexpected.”
However, he argues that many of these accidents are preventable and should be prevented so no one else gets hurt or dies.
“But when you go back and look and look and trace it back you can see most of the time that these are not unexpected. Most of these accidents are not just accidents. Most of these accidents are preventable,” Rosenblum said.
FedEx released a statement right after the death of Young and said it’s still investigating what happened.
