Houston lawyer represents family in Tyson wrongful death claim
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Relatives of an Amarillo meat cutter believe her employer is responsible for her death and now they're taking the company to court.
The family of Pwar Gay filed a federal lawsuit last week accusing Tyson Foods of negligence and said the company was responsible for her COVID-19 infection, according to the suit.
Gay died on May 8 after several weeks in a hospital for injuries related to a workplace fall as well as COVID-19 symptoms, according to attorneys for the family.
"They had a real problem with COVID spreading inside their plant and they decided to keep working their employees," Houston attorney Vuk Vujasinovic said.
The lawsuit claims Gay was required to keep working despite pain and knee injuries before she was hospitalized.
"The injuries and death of Ms. Gay were proximately caused by the negligence, both of commission and omission, of Tyson," the lawsuit states.
"They did not provide the workers at this Amarillo plant with the required personal protective gear," Vujasinovic said.
Thousands of Tyson employees have been tested for COVID-19, according to KFDA-TV. The lawsuit claims at least 4,500 of them tested positive for the virus.
The suit is asking for unspecified damages.
Tyson Foods did not respond for requests to comment on the suit.
