‘WON’T LET ME LEAVE’

Tornado Victim Wasn’t Allowed to Leave Amazon Warehouse, Girlfriend Says

The girlfriend of Larry Virden said she received her final text from him 16 minutes before the tornado touched down.

An Amazon worker at an Illinois warehouse who was killed in a roof collapse when a tornado hit was told to stay there until the storm passed, the New York Post reports. Larry Virden, 46, texted his girlfriend of 13 years that “Amazon won’t let me leave until after the storm blows over,” she told the paper. The text was reportedly sent roughly 16 minutes before the tornado reportedly touched down. Cherie Jones, Virden’s partner, said the couple lived 13 minutes away from the warehouse. Jones said she didn’t fault the company for Virden’s death, adding, “But it’s that what-if situation: What if they would have let him leave? He could have made it home.” Virden was a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq. “When he was over there, he made his peace with the maker, so he was prepared to die,” Jones said. “But we didn’t want him to die now.” Six employees at the warehouse have been confirmed dead.