Amazon employee gives details on the night of the deadly tornado in Edwardsville, Illinois

EDWARDSVILLE, Il. (KMIZ)

Gary Quigley clocked out at the Amazon Fulfillment Center Friday night in Edwardsville, Illinois just 20 minutes before a tornado collapsed part of the building, killing six of his coworkers.

Quigley said he was on the road running his routes when he noticed the weather starting to get bad. That is when he called his dispatcher and they agreed he should return to the building before it got worse.

Quigley left the building around 8:10 p.m. and got home before the tornado hit around 8:30 p.m.

Officials in Edwardsville on Sunday identified the six victims as Deandre S. Morrow, 28, of St. Louis, Mo.; Kevin D. Dickey, 62, of Carlyle, Ill.; Clayton Lynn Cope, 29, of Alton, Ill.; Larry E. Virden, 46, of Collinsville, Ill.;  and Austin J. McEwen, 26, of Edwardsville, IIl.

Dickey was the dispatcher that Quigley was referring to who made sure he got home safely.

"When I did call my dispatcher and I told him that I was coming back, he told me that he was in the process of getting the drivers back in here because he saw that the weather getting bad" Quigley said. "The thing that was heartfelt that I saw was that he was worried about myself and all the other employees. We probably had 40 people out on the road."

Another man was also airlifted from the Amazon Center that night, Craig Yost.

Quigley told me that Yost is doing well on Monday, but he did suffer a fractured sacrum, fractured pelvis, fractured hip, and a concussion.

Yost was trapped under a concrete wall in debris for three total hours as extra safety measures had to be taken by first responders to get to those in need.

Edwardsville Police Chief, Mike Fillback, said on top of the wind and rain that night, crews had to find a way to safely work around downed power lines, a water main break inside the building, no power, lots of debris, and rails sticking out.

Quigley said a first responder located Yost and stayed by his side until crews could get him out from underneath the concrete.

"He said what got him through it was that first responder grabbing him by the hand and he was there for over an hour and a half," Quigley said. "He said pretty much that first responders is what got him through that horrific thing."

As lives were lost that night, Quigley said he was one of the lucky ones that got his route down early.

"I got back in time, and I was already home. For other ones that weren't lucky enough and the ones that were in the building, I'm praying for them," Quigley said.

Quigley said he believes that the holiday season thankfully had more people on the roadway.

"I hate to say it was kind of a blessing because our routes are a lot bigger a lot of these people were out in the road and a lot of those routes would have normally had them back at the building sooner," Quigley said.

Quigley said a vigil is being held for those lives that were lost on Wednesday at the building across from the Amazon Center in Edwardsville at 5 p.m.