86-year-old woman killed in accident at FedEx hub

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC/Gray News) - An 86-year-old woman was killed last week at the FedEx World Hub in Memphis, Tennessee.

The woman has been identified as 86-year-old Verna Mae Jackson, according to attorney Jeff Rosenblum, who is representing her family.

According to the Memphis Police Department, officers responded to the hub at 11:21 p.m. on Nov. 30, regarding an accidental death.

Police said an employee was hurt while working and then was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Jackson marks the fifth death at the world hub since 2017.

FedEx released a statement expressing their sympathies for Jackson’s family and said they are investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.

The Daily Memphian reported Jackson was a package handler at the “old hub,” where FedEx handles freight bound for large airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

On the night of her death, it’s reported that a tug driver pulling a load of mail didn’t honk to signal he was taking off just as Jackson hurried to grab a loose envelope she saw sticking out of the container.

Jackson was then found beneath a 2,500-pound dolly.

Rosenblum said that he and Jackson’s family are waiting on the official Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration report before proceeding with any legal action.