An Alabama mother hospitalized after being shot and struck by the pickup truck used in the New Orleans New Year’s Day attack was initially denied leave from her job at Amazon, but the company now says it has reversed its decision.
In an interview with the New Orleans Advocate published Thursday, Alexis Scott-Windham of Mobile recalled surviving the attack and shared her worries about finding a new job after her leave of absence from the warehouse where she worked was denied.
An Amazon spokesperson told HuffPost on Friday that the denial was due to an error in Scott-Windham’s time off request and said she has the company’s “full support.”
“We’ve reached out to Ms. Scott-Windham to offer her our full support, including pay, as she recovers from this senseless act of violence. We wish her a full recovery and look forward to welcoming her back to work once she’s able,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement.
An attempt to reach Scott-Windham was not immediately successful.
The 23-year-old, who has a 1-year-old daughter, told the Advocate that she was enjoying the festivities along New Orleans’ Bourbon Street with friends from Mobile when the pickup truck came speeding out of nowhere, hitting the back of her right foot as she tried to escape. Once on the ground, she heard the sound of gunshots and later learned that a bullet was lodged in her foot, she said.
“He was coming so fast, there wasn’t any time to move all the way out the way,” she told the news outlet after being discharged from a hospital. “I was just blessed that I only got shot in the foot and I made it back home.”
Two friends who were with her suffered minor injuries as well, she said.
Police said that they exchanged gunfire with the pickup truck’s driver after he crashed his vehicle. The driver was shot and killed in the exchange.
A total of 14 people were killed in the attack, not including the driver, and dozens more were injured. Authorities have said that the driver was inspired by the Islamic State militant group.