Amazon worker says he was pinned by concrete in the Illinois warehouse collapse, and a coworker helped rescuers find him

Workers removed debris after a tornado destroys an Amazon warehouse in Illinois. — Tim Vizer/AFP via Getty Images

An Amazon contract delivery driver described being trapped in the warehouse collapse from Friday night's tornado.
Craig Yost told local TV he was pinned at the hip and shoulder until a colleague heard his calls.
Yost says he suffered broken bones and swelling from the concrete that "was like a slow trash compactor."

As he was wrapping up his shift shortly after 8pm on Friday night, contract delivery driver Craig Yost says he had just returned his truck to the Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, when the staff there told him to park the vehicle and seek shelter inside.

In interviews with local TV, the 39-year-old Yost said that as a powerful tornado ripped through the area, he hid with several other workers in one of the two warehouse bathrooms — the one at the southern area of the building where six people died.

Within minutes, the walls began caving in.

"I got pinned to the ground by a giant block of concrete," Yost said. "I was pinned down on my left hip with my right hip and my right shoulder holding a chunk of concrete. On top of my left knee was a door from the bathroom stall, and my head was on that with my left arm wrapped around my head. I could just move my right hand and foot."

Trapped beneath concrete that "was like a slow trash compactor," Yost called for help until a coworker heard his voice and brought rescue crews to pull him from the wreckage.

"Thank God he did what he did [because] I wouldn't be here otherwise," Yost said.

At least 90 people died and scores of buildings and homes were flattened when Tornados and extreme weather ripped through six states late Friday. Amazon said the team at the Edwardsville warehouse received a tornado warning and the company worked to get as many employees into a designated shelter area in an effort to keep everyone safe.

Speaking from St. Louis University hospital, Yost said he sustained broken pelvic bones, tail bone, and hip bones that required several screws to repair. He also reported bruising and swelling from the crushing forces of the debris.

Yost also said he had grown friendly over the past two months working with dispatcher Kevin Dickey, who was one of those killed in the collapse.

On Monday, the US Occupational Health and Safety Administration confirmed that it has opened an investigation into the conditions at the warehouse, which could take up to six months to complete.

In a statement, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said, "OSHA investigates all workplace fatalities and we are supporting them."

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