“Numb.”
That was the only feeling Etwona Jones felt as she drove on highways traversing across the Alabama and Mississippi border after receiving the call that her son, Elijah Jones, died in an accident at the New Process Steel facility April 28.
“My mother mode kicked in,” Etwona told The Dispatch Friday. “There was no grieving. … I literally don’t remember anything else (from that night). From my house to here, it takes an hour and 15 minutes. I did it in 30 minutes. I don’t remember it raining; they told me it was storming, (but) I remember none of that. All I could think of was (him).”
While waiting outside the facility, Jones said she wasn’t given an explanation of what occurred at the steel processing site that night and is still awaiting answers from investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and representatives from Steel Dynamics Inc., the company that owns the Columbus site.
At about 7 that night, Jones, 20, died from blunt force trauma in a worksite accident at the facility. His body was found near the slitter line, a station where steel coils are cut into narrower strips for manufacturing.
OSHA has been investigating the incident since April 29, but no updates have been filed in the case, according to investigation details found on OSHA’s website.
In the meantime, Etwona said family members are hoping to raise enough money to help cover costs to give Elijah a “proper tombstone” in Columbus, starting a GoFundMe that has raised more than $1,200 of its $1,600 goal.
Etwona said her son, who was the oldest of her five children, was “goofy just like (her)” and an excellent worker. Whether it was mowing yards with his grandfather during summers in Columbus or working one of several fast food jobs he had while in high school, he always did every job with a smile, she said.
“He was always happy,” Etwona said. “You never could tell if something was wrong with him, unless he opened his mouth. He went to work, and he went back to his granddaddy’s house (and) he played (with his siblings).”
Elijah spent most of his high school years in Arkansas at Jonesboro High School after his mother moved the family up there for her new job in 2019.
While there, he led by example both on the football field and in the classroom. Elijah made such an impression on his classmates that dozens of those same friends made the trip to Columbus on May 9 for his funeral.
“I know somebody from every job that he worked at before (came by),” Etwona said. “Even if they didn’t come to the funeral, I know they came to the wake because there were a lot of people who stopped by.”
Remembering Elijah
Along with building a substantial friend group, Etwona said Elijah excelled academically both in Jonesboro and during his senior year at New Hope High School in 2023.
Rickey Hudson, Elijah’s grandfather, with whom Elijah had been staying since his senior year, said he was overjoyed he was to have his grandson around the house.
“He wanted to talk,” Hudson said. “… And I’d go to his room and stand at the door, and we’d stand there and talk, but sometimes we’d go out to the grill and eat, or we would go look at something and it was really good. It’s tough now, all that void, none of that going on.”
It was during moments like that that Elijah told Hudson that after his 21st birthday, he dreamed of becoming a highway patrolman.
“He wanted a career-type job, not just a job-job where you punch a clock every day,” Hudson said.
But the possibility of achieving that dream was cut about five months short.
Etwona said after Elijah’s passing, she did not want to celebrate Mother’s Day or other holidays since his death because it doesn’t feel the same without him around.
“I hate Mother’s Day now,” Etwona said. “I didn’t celebrate. I didn’t do anything; I just stayed at the house.”
Etwona said her family’s largest frustration is that the entire accident and what occurred that night is still largely unknown. Etwona said she has still not received a call from SDI officials or representatives regarding the incident or his death.
“They literally (have) told me absolutely nothing, other than it was an accident,” Etwona said.
Tricina Meyers, SDI investor relations manager, did not answer questions about whether the company has been in contact with the family but did say the company is fully cooperating with OSHA’s investigation and that the company is committed to improving safety at its sites.
“We remain deeply saddened by this tragic loss,” Meyers said in a statement to The Dispatch. “The incident is currently under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and we are fully cooperating with their review.”
Etwona said the family ultimately just wants closure for what happened that night.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
