Shocking report claims employee lay dead for over an hour inside Amazon facility as coworkers were ordered back to work
A deeply unsettling incident is claimed to have taken place at an Amazon warehouse last week. A recent report indicates that an Amazon employee was dead in the Oregon facility for over an hour, while their coworkers were instructed to continue working and to "not look."
While the workers were instructed to continue working, the man lay lifeless on the ground, and people were allegedly discouraged from helping him. One worker said that a manager told them to "Just turn around and not look. Let’s get back to work," according to The Western Edge, which broke the story.
The investigation by the outlet alleged that Amazon tried to keep the death of a worker, who passed away on April 6, at its distribution center in Troutdale, Oregon, from being publicized. Western Edge later learned of the incident and reported it one week later. It comes amid fears over a ’bloodbath’ with 60,000 workers reportedly being replaced by robots.
An employee, pseudonym Sam, revealed that despite seeing a "body form laying lifeless" at his place of work, his supervisor told him and his coworkers to "please get back to work."
Witnesses say a woman ran over to the individual, upset, and began performing chest compressions on him. At that point, Sam, who is trained in CPR, said that they should help the woman.
"I started sobbing and said, ’I want to help, please!’ I know she’s going to get tired and need to be subbed out," he told The Western Edge.
He added that his supervisor, who had tears in his eyes, told him, "It has to be management or safety team," and to "just turn around and not look. Let’s get back to work."
First responders later attended the scene, and the area was eventually closed off. The incident sent shockwaves through employees at the facility, and some blamed middle management for responding coldly to the situation.
"Between being told we should get back to work while a coworker is getting CPR and being told not to help, I just can’t support a corporation like that. We are just numbers," Sam told the outlet.
The report highlights growing concerns over the treatment of workers at large retail companies. Amazon, in particular, has had to fight off accusations of being responsible for a series of deaths at its distribution centers across the U.S. When these lawsuits have gone to court, they have so far overwhelmingly landed in Amazon’s favor.
One anonymous worker at the Oregon workplace told Western Edge, "Truthfully, I now have even less respect for our leadership team than I did before, which I didn’t know was possible. It makes me feel more ashamed to work there knowing that people can drop dead and we have to carry on knowing it doesn’t matter to the higher-ups, and everyone is replaceable."
In a statement sent to Mirror US, Amazon said, "We’re deeply saddened by the passing of a member of our team, and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with their loved ones during this difficult time. We’ve been in touch with his family and have provided resources to support them. For employees at our PDX9 facility, we’ve provided on-site grief counselors and additional support."
They added, "We’re thankful for the work of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department and local emergency medical services.”
Amazon also explained that shortly after EMS arrived, site operations were closed for the remainder of the day. When operations resumed, employees were offered voluntary time off if they needed it. The incident involving the man was also ruled to be non-work related.
Last year, from November 28 to December 1, 2025, Amazon workers protested under the banner #MakeAmazonPay, over labor abuses, environmental degradation, and threats to democracy.
"Even if we fainted, we couldn’t take a day off & go home. If we took that day off, our pay would be cut, & if we took three days off, they would fire us. Amazon treats us as expendable," said Neha Singh, an Amazon worker in Manesar, India, on behalf of the movement.
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