Verna Mae Jackson’s church, Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church, described her as “someone who has made our world a brighter, better place,” in a Facebook post tributing her life.
A woman who was killed at the FedEx World Hub in Memphis, Tennesee, has been identified as 86-year-old Verna Mae Jackson, according to reports.
Police officers responded to the hub at 11:21 p.m. on Nov. 30 regarding an accidental death, according to the Memphis Police Department. Police said the employee was injured while working and then rushed to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to the family’s lawyer, Jeffery Rosenblum, Jackson was a longtime employee at the FedEx hub, ABC 24 reported.
The 86-year-old was killed when she saw an envelope sticking out of a container and rushed to grab it, Rosenblum said according to ABC 24. Rosenblum alleges a tug driver pulling a load of mail did not honk to signal he was driving off as Jackson went to grab the envelope, according to ABC 24.
Jackson was found under a 2,500-pound dolly, Action News 5 reported.
“The safety precautions that could’ve protected her were not in place. This was a completely preventable death,” Rosenblum says, according to the outlet.
“Her family wants the community to know that she loved working for FedEx, and she loved the people that she worked with,” Rosenblum said, according to the news outlet.
Jackson’s church, Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church, described her as “someone who has made our world a brighter, better place,” in a Facebook post tributing her life.
FedEx issued a statement to Inside Edition Digital.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Verna Jackson, a highly valued member of our team for more than 20 years, who will be dearly missed. Our heartfelt sympathy and condolences go out to her loved ones during this extremely difficult time. We are fully cooperating with the investigating authorities,” FedEx says.
The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) tells Inside Edition Digital an investigator from the department was sent to the location of the incident to determine the circumstances that led to Jackson’s death. TOSHA says a fatality investigation can take between eight to ten weeks to complete.
“To ensure the investigation’s integrity, TOSHA does not release any preliminary information regarding the incident,” TOSHA says.
