Thread by @propublica

1/ Monday was Labor Day. Many people enjoyed a long weekend.

You know who didn’t?

Drivers who deliver packages for @Amazon.

It’s costing lives.

Here are a few who’ve lost their lives in part because of our obsession with @AmazonHelp's fast shipping:

@amazon @AmazonHelp 2/ Gabrielle was 9 months old when her mother’s car was struck from behind in January of this year by a 26-foot truck driven by an Amazon contract driver who said he thought he was behind on his delivery timetable.

@amazon @AmazonHelp 3/ Telesfora Escamilla was crossing a Chicago street when she was hit by a turning cargo van. She was preparing to celebrate the holidays and 85th birthday with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Instead, they planned her funeral. propub.li/2NVisKL

@amazon @AmazonHelp 4/ Stacey Hayes Curry was killed in 2018 by a driver delivering Amazon packages in San Diego.

”You’ve got this wonderful convenience with this technology,” Stacey’s brother told @ProPublica, “but there’s a human cost to it.”

@amazon @AmazonHelp 5/ Two 89-year-old women have also lost their lives:

-a former Macy’s Herald Square saleswoman was struck as she crossed a NJ street
-a PA grandmother was hit by a driver as he was backing up in front of an Outback Steakhouse

@amazon @AmazonHelp 6/ It seems easy to point the finger of blame at the drivers — but @SheInvestigates discovered that this is only half the story.

So what else is going on?

@amazon @AmazonHelp @SheInvestigates 7/ Amazon gives its contract drivers turn-by-turn instructions, and has deals that require some drivers to be on time for 999 out of 1,000 deliveries.

Our investigation discovered a system that shields the company from responsibility for the deadly accidents.

How?

@amazon @AmazonHelp @SheInvestigates 8/ Well, for one, operations are so opaque that sometimes, people don’t even know that their loved one was injured by someone who is doing work for Amazon.

Even when they do know, the company has systems in place to make sure it’s not held responsible for any of it.

@amazon @AmazonHelp @SheInvestigates 9/ (That’s a video of unmarked trucks leaving an Amazon warehouse. If one of these trucks hit someone you love, would you know who to blame? Exactly.)

Here’s another video, too:

@amazon @AmazonHelp @SheInvestigates 10/ The retail giant has repeatedly told judges it is not responsible for the actions of contractors, pointing to the terms of its agreements with shipping companies.

“You will defend, hold harmless and indemnify Amazon,” one agreement reads.
propub.li/2LnoQZC

@amazon @AmazonHelp @SheInvestigates 11/ Here’s what an Amazon spokesperson told us:

@amazon @AmazonHelp @SheInvestigates 12/ In the 90’s @Dominos had a 30-minute delivery guarantee — you got a $3 discount if it took longer.

They discontinued it after its drivers killed or severely injured people in crashes, leading to a large jury verdict.

Apparently, quick delivery wasn’t worth the human toll.

@amazon @AmazonHelp @SheInvestigates @dominos 13/ We’re not the only ones looking into this — @BuzzfeedNews’ @ceodonovan and @kenbensinger produced a deep look into this topic, published last weekend.

buzzfeednews.com/article/caroli…

@amazon @AmazonHelp @SheInvestigates @dominos @BuzzFeedNews @ceodonovan @kenbensinger 14/ Months after baby Gabrielle’s death, her mother Ellen wrote:

“I can’t eat or sleep because when I close my eyes all I see are the headlights coming at me and all I hear are my sickening screams as I try to open your door to get to you,” she wrote on Facebook.

@amazon @AmazonHelp @SheInvestigates @dominos @BuzzFeedNews @ceodonovan @kenbensinger 15/ Amazon won’t say what percentage of packages its contractors deliver, but we know that the share is growing fast.

propub.li/2Uydp4s

@amazon @AmazonHelp @SheInvestigates @dominos @BuzzFeedNews @ceodonovan @kenbensinger 16/ We publish investigations like this all the time.

Get the next one:

propub.li/2ZMBllj