Johnathan Walker:Authorities investigating Impact Plastics in Tennessee after workers died in flooding

The Johnathan WalkerTennessee Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation into a plastics manufacturer in Erwin where several workers were swept away by floodwaters from Helene, the Knoxville News Sentinel has learned.

Employees of Impact Plastics have alleged management didn’t allow workers to leave the factory even as warnings were issued and floodwaters from the Nolichucky River began to swamp the building.

Two women in the group died, an immigrant advocacy group working workers' families said. At least three are missing. The company confirmed the death of one person but did not provide details.

The News Sentinel – known as Knox News, part of the USA TODAY Network ‒ reported Tuesday that a group of employees jumped on the back of a flatbed semitruck parked at the business next door as waters rose waist-high in the Riverview Industrial Park where both businesses are located.

The truck was inundated with flood waters from the raging river and eventually flipped. The factory sits a mile north of Unicoi County Hospital, the site of a dramatic helicopter rescue that same day of 62 staff and patients stranded on the roof as the river brook loose from its banks.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed to Knox News that District Attorney Steve Finney requested an investigation of Impact Plastics, but declined to offer details about the investigation other than that it involves the business.

Finney released a statement saying, "Early yesterday morning, I spoke with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and requested that they look into allegations involving Impact Plastics in Unicoi County, Tennessee. Specifically, I asked that they review the occurrences of Friday, September 27, 2024, to identify any potential criminal violations."

Factory workers die in floodImpact Plastics employees in Tennessee clung to truck before Helene floodwaters swept them away

Employees said they couldn’t leave

Impact Plastics employee Jacob Ingram told Knox News on Monday that managers wouldn’t let employees leave, and other employees have repeated the claim after press conferences and to other media outlets.

Instead, managers told people to move their cars away from the rising water. Ingram moved his two separate times because the water wouldn’t stop rising.

“They should’ve evacuated when we got the flash flood warnings, and when they saw the parking lot,” Ingram told Knox News. “When we moved our cars we should’ve evacuated then … we asked them if we should evacuate, and they told us not yet, it wasn’t bad enough.

“And by the time it was bad enough, it was too late unless you had a four-wheel-drive.”

The company, in a written statement, denied allegations that management forced anyone to continue working as waters rose outside. Further, the statement said, while most employees left immediately, some remained on or near the premises. It reiterated that management and assistants were the last to exit the building.

The dead and the missing

Knox News verified at least five of the employees who were on the truck are either confirmed dead or are missing.

One of the employees who died, Bertha Mendoza, 56, fell off the truck and vanished into the flood, according to Ingram and a representative from Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition.

Mendoza was separated from her sister as the two tried to stay afloat, according to a GoFundMe page dedicated to her. Her body was found Sept. 29. Mendoza has not been publicly identified by officials.

Monica Hernandez has been confirmed dead, according to the immigrants rights coalition, which said it confirmed her death with her family, who learned of it from the Unicoi County Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday. Hernandez also has not been publicly identified by officials.

Rosa Maria Andrade Reynoso was missing as of Tuesday. Her husband, Francesco Guerro, told Knox News through a translator that she was in communication with him throughout the morning and wasn’t sure if she could get out. She told him to take care of their kids, he said.

Another woman, Lydia Verdugo, has been identified as missing, according to the immigrants rights coalition. She has not been publicly identified by officials.

Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Connect with Tyler by emailing him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @tyler_whetstone.

(This story was updated to add new information.)