A warehouse worker at an Amazon facility in Mobile, Alabama, who was struck by a truck and shot in the New Orleans New Year’s Day deadly terror attack, was initially denied medical leave by the internet mega-giant, possibly due to an HR mix-up.

Alexis Scott-Windham was celebrating the New Year with friends on Bourbon Street when a pickup truck mounted the sidewalk and rammed a crowd shortly after 3 am local time. She was treated in hospital after the back of her right foot was run over by the vehicle, and she was also shot in the foot. The bullet remains in her limb while doctors work out the best course of action to remove it while she recovers at home.

The regional Times-Picayune newspaper interviewed Scott-Windham, who revealed she had been denied medical leave by the Amazon warehouse where she works for a medical checkup in two weeks’ time. The mother feared if she was absent from work for that appointment, she would lose her job.

Other than that, “I’m just thankful to be here,” she 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.”

The Register asked Amazon to confirm the story, and the tech goliath said Scott-Windham is, contrary to concerns, able to take paid time off to recover from the attack.

“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,” a spokesperson told us. “We wish her a full recovery and look forward to welcoming her back to work once she’s able.”

It’s believed Scott-Windham requested the wrong type of leave, leading to it being turned down, or so people familiar with the matter have claimed.

In the attack, 14 people were killed and more than 30 hurt by a terrorist – identified by federal investigators as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, said to be a US Army veteran from Texas who was once employed by Deloitte – who drove a rented pickup truck into New Year revelers before leaving the vehicle and opening fire with a long gun. He was also reportedly carrying explosives, and was shot and killed by police at the scene.

“He was coming so fast, there wasn’t any time to move all the way out the way,” said Scott-Windham. “I was just blessed that I only got shot in the foot and I made it back home.” ®