A bunch of criminals reportedly heckled, assaulted, and mistreated Austin Sherrell, a California person with moderate autism who worked at Vons grocery store.
The firm wrongfully dismissed him, and his contract was subsequently terminated, with Vons claiming a ‘pending investigation’ as the cause. Despite his father’s appeal for workers compensation after the terrible occurrence, he was denied.
Sherrell was assaulted three times in all, and the third time he learnt to protect himself.
The 23-year-old was attacked for the first time while putting out the garbage when two robbers appeared out of nowhere, hit him in the face, and pepper sprayed him.
The first incident occurred on January 19, but he was assaulted again in the same spot barely two months later.
“I’m bleeding and I get away and I run back inside,” Sherrell told of the initial incident. “My biggest problem, what I have, is that I’m mildly autistic, and I have a hard time processing things.”
This time, though, he was fortunate to have a tucked-away roll of garbage bags in his apron pocket and was able to defend himself when the assailant thrust a knife into the roll rather than him.
“Unbelievable,” he claimed of the second one, which ‘shook’ him to his core. The first event didn’t bother him too much, but the second occurrence, when one is on the verge of death, has him the most shaken and afraid he has ever been in his whole life.
When two customers informed Sherrell that a person who appeared to be under the influence of drugs was harassing them on April 1, he got involved in yet another fight.
He took prompt action and requested security help to safeguard the safety and well-being of the impacted clients.
The guy who chest-bumped Sherrell and then struck him three times was reported to the corporation by his father, Adam.
He said that the security officers heard him say, ‘he’s cursing me out, he’s threatening my life’ and did nothing to defend him even after he alerted them.
“I step back, and he comes back in my face. I take another step back.” Sherrell shoved the guy away for the third time.
His father later filed for worker’s compensation from the employer since his son was having ‘nightmares and panic attacks’ after being nearly stabbed.
Worker’s compensation is an important support system for workers who are injured at work, allowing them to take essential time off and get payment for their medical expenses.
It also acts as a protection, protecting workers from any negative repercussions, such as firing, owing to their justifiable need for a leave of absence.
Sherrell, on the other hand, had unforeseen obstacles upon his return to work, as his work hours were cut, and he was suspended from his position on April 10 owing to a ‘pending inquiry,’ which finally culminated in his firing on April 19.
According to Adam, Sherrell has been unable to locate another job since his abrupt firing.
The United Food and Commercial Workers 8-Golden State Union, on the other hand, has filed an appeal against the termination.
Their preliminary findings indicate that Mr. Sherrell’s termination was unwarranted, said President Jacques Loveall.
Although he chose not to return to Vons, Sherrell acknowledged his appreciation for the consumers and said how much he will miss their company.
He modestly accepted the various comments he got from them, stating that he regularly heard nice words about his service.
In support of Sherrell, his dad started a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of reaching $5,000, and it had approximately $3,000 in contributions as of Friday morning (12 May).
