Alexis Scott-Windham of Mobile, Alabama was one of many who were injured on New Year’s Day after a man identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove around barricades and onto the sidewalk of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, deliberately trying to harm as many people as possible.

The 23-year-old mom was hospitalized after being shot and struck by the pickup truck. Yet her employers at Amazon were far from sympathetic to her request for time off.

The Amazon employee who was hit by the Bourbon Street attacker was reportedly denied her time off request to recover from her injuries.

In an interview with the New Orleans AdvocateScott-Windham said that she had been enjoying the festivities along 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.

“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.”

However, after being injured in the attack, Scott-Windham shared that the Amazon warehouse where she works denied her request for a leave of absence, even though she returned home to Mobile with the bullet still in her foot, along with multiple fractures.

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Amazon eventually reversed its decision regarding Scott-Windham’s time-off request.

The company claimed that Scott-Windham mistakenly requested the wrong type of leave.

“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,” an Amazon spokesperson told Newsweek.

Scott-Windham admitted that before Amazon granted her time off, she feared that she would have to find a new job. No person should have to think about finding employment or worry about financial stability while recovering from such a traumatic and terrifying event.

“Other than that, I’m just thankful to be here,” Scott-Windham said. “I just want to tell my story to everybody. I don’t want to take life for granted. It’s really opened my eyes.”

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Amazon has an extensive history of mistreating its employees and ignoring their well-being.

From unsafe working environments to a disparity in how they’re paid, Amazon employees have long been vocal about the poor way they’re treated inside many of the company’s warehouses.

A 2023 study from the University of Illinois Chicago found that 69% of employees had to take unpaid time off due to pain or exhaustion from working at the company in the past month, while 34% have had to do so three or more times. Many also claimed they have trouble taking breaks when needed.

The fact that Amazon is known for the poor conditions they put their employees through makes it unsurprising that Scott-Windham was put in this position in the first place. Frankly, the company must do better to ensure that the people working for them are treated like human beings instead of disposable assets.

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Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.