Good morning Petition Supporters,

We’ve all heard UPS say Safety for their employees is their number one Priorty, what you don't hear is the real truth. Please take a minute to read Miranda’s heartwarming, but very sad story about her dad a UPS driver. Let's flood Social Media to expose UPS for who they really are.

 On a  rainy Thursday evening 16 years ago today, my Dad, Tim Brownlow, was tragically taken from us. I don't speak about it often, the pain is so deeply embedded in me that even typing out that first sentence brings a gut wrenching pit in my stomach and an instant rush of tears to my eyes. What happened to my Dad was nothing short of wrongful death, while on the job. However, it was not treated in that manner & my Father never received the justice that he deserves. It's hard to fathom the magnitude of such a loss that young of age, but I'm no longer the naive girl that I was when my Dad's accident took place. A lot has changed since then, and I refuse to stay silent about it anymore. 

        A little backstory for those of you who didn't have the pleasure of personally knowing my Dad, he was a Ferndale, CA native that excelled in sports, Track being his most known legacy. His love for running continued up until the day he died. Running was one of the activities my Dad and I shared a love for. I have fond memories, as young as elementary school, waking up before sunrise and pounding the pavement with him before heading to school and work. 

        My Dad was as healthy and vivacious as they come. His personality would light up any room and his laugh was so contagious. My Dad was the type of person that no matter who you asked, they always had the nicest things to say or the funniest stories to tell about him. He was a one of the good ones, and was truly loved by all. My Dad, Tim, was the most dedicated husband, father, and friend. He would give the shirt off his own back to help anyone in need. One of the things I admire most about my Dad is that he always stood up for what he believed in and always did the right thing, even if he was the only one standing. I believe he instilled that quality in me and it's what is inspiring me to share his story.

       I feel it's time to publicly share the truth about what happened and stand up for what is right. My Dad deserves it & I'm going to see it through. My Dad being the all-around great guy that he was, was also a devoted employee to his career as a UPS driver. My Dad thouroughly loved his job and created friendships with everyone he met along his routes. He dedicated the majority of his time and life to being a driver for UPS which meant many late nights away from his family, especially during the holiday months. He was a committed Shop Steward for part of his career, always standing up for his fellow drivers against UPS Management when work related issues would arrise. Up until that fateful night in 2007, Tim had 17 years of safe driving, with no accidents. I used to collect all of his Teamsters safe driving pins he would bring home and brag about what a good driver he was to my friends that would come over to our house. 

       Much of my Dad's identity was, and still is, wrapped up in being a UPS driver. To this day, I cannot leave my house without seeing a brown truck, and not have it bring up the memory of my Dad. Unfortunately, seeing UPS trucks do not bring up fond memories, it brings up anger and resentment, knowing that the same company my Father dedicated his life to, is the same company that is responsible for my Dad's death, and they got away with it. 

        The day of my Dad's accident he was not on his usual route. He was covering a route for another driver who was off work, and the truck he was assigned to drive that day was also not his usual truck. Typically that would not be an issue, however, this paticular truck was a Mercedes Sprinter Van that had been red tagged for it's tire tread being unsafe to drive. The previous drivers of the truck had dated in the maintenance log back on 03-09-2007 that the tires were balding. On 04-09-2007 there is mainentance log stating "The tires will be here Thursday". On 04-11-2007 mechanic wrote, "Your tires did not come in the shipment, re-ordered 04-12-2007." Meanwhile, that truck continued to be driven with a tread well under the legal limit, with the last day being 4-19-2007, the day they sent my Dad out in that vehicle, never to return home that night. 

       The conditions were anything but ideal that tragic night, with heavy rain collecting in a pool of water in a construction zone on northbound 101, north of Redcrest, CA. My Dad was on his way back to the warehouse that evening after delivering in Southern Humboldt that day, when at approximately 8:15pm he hydroplaned due to the lack of tire tread required by law, resulting in the inability to maintain control of the vehicle. He was catapulted from the roadway where he collided head-on into a Redwood tree, dying instantly from blunt trauma to the head. In the CHP accident report, it is stated that "The tire tread was found to have less than the required 1/32 inch tread depth, as required by law, in violation of 27465 (B)(1) VC." They were found to be smooth across the mid-portion of the tires with the metal cords visible, as we were told later by the CHP officer on scene.

       It's infuriating to think that my Father's accident could have been, and should have been totally prevented. The fact that they were aware of the tires tread being dangerously low for well over a month, and continued to send drivers out in that vehicle. For anyone that isn't aware, UPS preaches safety, it's what they are known for, but if it weren't for their blatant negligence, my Dad would still be here today. What happened after my Dad's accident was the most shocking of it all. You would think with such clear cut evidence, it would be an open and shut lawsuit against UPS. Unfortuately, that couldn't have been further from what happened. 

       We were initially promised by the UPS Manager that we would be taken care of (financially) and that UPS would make this right. Little did we know, that his tune would quickly change and he would prioritize not losing his job over doing the right thing. We were informed of a lot of cover-ups taking place all while still trying to process and grieve the loss of our Dad and Husband. The CHP officer who wrote the report ended up changing the initial report later that week to add in a very damning allegation that my Dad had made an "unsafe turn" off the roadway, deeming him at fault for the collision. Suspiciously enough, we found out shortly after that, the CHP officer that made that initial report no longer worked there. If you would have placed any other driver in that same situation, I gaurantee the outcome would have been the same. You cannot control a vehicle while hydroplaning, so making an "unsafe turn" off the roadway, I can assure you, was not by choice. The suspicious cover-ups and corruption did not stop there. We were told by several UPS drivers that in the days following my Dad's accident, UPS management and the Higher Ups, were in the Eureka office shredding records and documentation of the tires ever being red tagged. UPS also took the Merecedes Sprinter Van into custody the same day it was released from CHP and destroyed the vehicle before my Mom could come to look at it with her own eyes. 

     Meanwhile, my Mom was trying to find an Attorney to take on this case and after searching local and all the way down to the Bay Area, she grew extremely discouraged. Every lawyer basically told her the same thing, that they didn't go up against "The Big Dogs" and that we would never stand a chance going against such a big corporation with deep pockets. We were told the case would most likely be tied up in litigations and appeals for years, and possibly decades to come. It's sickening to think that a life was lost while on the job, due to the company's negligence, but because UPS is a multi-billion dollar corporation, no lawyer was even willing to take our case on within the statute of limitations to file a lawsuit. My Mom got screwed, big time. Not only does she have to live the rest of her life without her husband, but she also financialy struggles to this day, because of it. No amount of money could ever take away the pain of losing my Dad and having to live this reality for the rest of our lives, but not receiving a single DIME from UPS was an absolute slap in the face. 

   The worst part is, there was a rumor circulating (most likely started by UPS management to make themselves out to be the good guys) that our family received a settlement of $3.7 million. I'm here to set that record straight once and for all, UPS didn't pay out a penny to our family. Since no Attorney would agree to take on a case against such a huge corporation, this never even went to trial! The UPS corporation, the Eureka Manager, the mechanics, and anyone else involved, walked away from this completely unscathed. Nobody even lost their job over this. It's out of sight and out of mind for all of them now. However, for my Mom, Sister, and I, it's something we live with and struggle with Every. Single. Day. 

        Losing my Father at such a young age, I never could have predicted the ramifications that I would face later on. Now that I am married with three kids, who will never have the privilege of meeting or knowing their Grandpa, the severity of this permanent loss, is even more heart shattering. I am reminded daily by little things my twin boys do and their mannerisms that remind me of my Dad, and I just know he would have been the best Grandpa, and they would have absolutely adored him!

      The death of my Father was, and still is, completely life-altering. The pain feels unbearable at times. I have struggled throughout all of these years dealing with the anger of my Dad never receiving the justice that he deserves. So ultimately, I've decided to use that anger to fuel a fire within me. I officially decided to write a book in honor of my Dad and tell his story. I cannot change what happened to my Dad, but I can help contribute to his legacy. It has always felt like a taboo subject that we can't talk about, but I want to change that from here on out. I want the world to know the truth about my Dad's story and for UPS to be exposed for what they did (or rather, didn't do!) I want to be able to read my Dad's story to my kids and for them to be able to see what an amazing person he was. But most importantly, I want my kids to know that they should stand up for what they believe is right, even if they are the only one standing.  

❤️***PLEASE SHARE***❤️

#JusticeForBrownie

#NeverForgetTimBrownlow

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Teamsters Local 137