Black Friday Stampede Kills Worker At Wal-Mart

Update: The New York Daily News is now saying that reports of a woman having a miscarriage during a Wal-Mart Black Friday stampede are unfounded.

A 28-year-old pregnant woman was knocked to the floor during the mad rush. She was hospitalized for observation, police said. Early witness accounts that the woman suffered a miscarriage were unfounded, police said.

From The New York Daily News:

A worker died after being trampled and a woman miscarried when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors of a Long Island Wal-Mart Friday morning, witnesses said.

The unidentified worker, employed as an overnight stock clerk, tried to hold back the unruly crowds just after the Valley Stream store opened at 5 a.m.

Additional reports from NY Newsday say the "34-year-old Wal-Mart worker died Friday morning after he was knocked to the ground after 'a throng of shoppers physically broke down the doors,' pushing their way into the store at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, Nassau police said."

Comments

[jigen]

Anyone who shops on "black Friday" is a mindless wanker. When I worked retail, black Friday meant black because it was a dark day to have to work. It's unfortunate it's been co-opted by the media and commercial berks who use the phrase as some sort of gimmick.

Stay at home on the day after Thanksgiving. Resist the automaton call....

[jkb77]

It's called "black" Friday because it's supposed to be the day retailers go into the black (profit) and out of the red (debt) because of the color ink they used to use in their bookkeeping.

[JeepRover]

While that is a technically correct statement; I have to agree with jigen. It's a horrible day to work, and we did call it Black Friday because it was the worst day in the year to be a retail salesman. The people are rude, pushy and angry over what: a worthless piece of fabric or plastic that will probably break within 365 days! I've never gone shopping on Black Friday and you'll have to pull my dead carcass from the sofa to ever get me out.

[readmewell22]

If it took five years to stop and start and rewind the tapes, somebody should be held to the full course of the law behind this situation. This entire story is horrible. Sad. It turns my stomach.
Four years ago, my son and I braved a Black Friday 4.am. stand in the freezing rain for four hours sale.
It almost cost me my life... I had a shopping cart shoved into my stomach and if my son's fast thinking and actions hadn't turned the cart onto it side---thus leaving me a tiny space to jump on top of the cart to escape, well..... I would have been a statistic as well. The people continued to surge ahead, pushing and shoving, none of them every stopped to help me or cared that I was in trouble.

As such, that was the last time I would ever do that again. No bargain, is worth injury or death. And this store had security, but as soon as the door opened, the security disappeared, and folks from everywhere stampeded, there was no order, just human chaos.
The store in my opinion does have some responsibility, and they need to review those tapes and take action. Period!

[kellygrrrl]

sounds like a PalinRallyMob

[Hare]

It is like a Pamplona bull event with out the bulls but with the bullcr*p. Run for your lives.

[RedDonnaAnn]

HuffPost's Pick

Why in god's name did the PD not LOCK THE DOORS, CLOSE THE STORE and ID EVERYONE before they let them leave????

WTF???? There is video footage and that can be matched with the names and IDs of those who did the trampling.

SOMEWHERE, SOMEBODY has got to start holding people accountable. Jesus H Christ. How horrible is this? I also heard that people refused to leave even though they'd been told a person had been killed. No, no Americans are not materialistic, immature, narcissists. We're wonderful people. Just wonderful!

[dartagnan]

I couldn't agree more.

This pathetic episode encapsulates what's wrong with America -- people willing to trample each other to death to save a couple of dollars on a flat-screen TV or a video game. The everybody-for-himself mentality run amok.

There are many, many fine Americans. But our society and culture, on the whole, suck.

I expect some right-winger will now appear and tell me that if I hate America so much I should move to France.

Believe me, if I could I would.

[Sunny2]

As a Republican, I'll tell you that this happened in Obama country. Something this horrific is much more likely to have been committed by BHO supporters than Republicans. They're the same type of people who thought by electing Obama, they won't ever have to worry about putting gas in their car or paying their mortage again. Whooopi!!!

[readmewell22]

I agree, if this had been a robbery with a person killed, those tapes would have been reviewed, rewound, observed, recorded, tracked, taped, and studied. If it took five years of starting and stopping and rewinding to analyze the actions leading up to and after, justice should be done!!! And the way these stores handle this madness should be stopped. There are other ways to have sales without stampedes.

[gwhizz]

This.

[cew314]

I worry that whoever is pegged as the "initial trampler" didn't have much of a choice either. What about those folks at the back, pushing and shoving to get in the doors? The people at the doors were probably moved forward by the crowd in a move or die situation themselves. The whole thing is just sad -- all for a TV -- and WalMart probably only had 3 in stock anyway!

[Jsens3]

Because the police would then face a number of lawsuits for false imprisonment. Police have to have probable cause to detain a person. They can make arrests if they have probable cause to believe the persons detained committed a crime. They have to tread carefully here, too, or they will be sued for false arrest.

[crackedbelljar]

I have two questions

1)What would Jesus buy?

2) Who would Jesus kill to buy it?

People are such hypocrites.

[JJinWI]

Thank you. I couldn't have said it better!

[InedaName]

This man sacrificed his life in the name of consumer confidence. He is a patriot and should be honored as such.

[mindlane]

it's that holly jolly tramplin' time of the year

[TN]

Who or what would line up to buy anything?

[Mildmannered]

stores like Wal-Mart need to take control of situations like this instead of building up the hype. They are going to be slammed with a big lawsuit next time and deservedly so someone gets injured or killed.

[dartagnan]

Agree. In fact I hope they get slammed with a huge lawsuit THIS time. I hope the family of the trampling victim takes WalMart for multi-multi-millions.

This whole "Black Friday" nonsense has gotten completely out of hand. Stores opening at 5, 4, 3 am. It's just nuts.

[Sunny2]

WalMart is not totally blameless, but the true blame lies with the savage people that did this. I hope none of them ever has a peaceful day for the rest of their lives. The reality is they'll no doubt be enjoying the holiday with their new purchases.

[PatA]

While terrorists are killing people in India, shoppers are killing a man in a Walmart.

[Chironomid]

Hey, what's one dead guy relative to our annual Christmas profiteering orgy? C'mon people -- get some perspective.

[samaire]

Walmart sucks

[formerprosecutor]

Many years ago, when I was a young cop, I worked a part time detail for Montgomery Wards on the day the cabbage patch dolls arrived. The crowd was huge, and we had a plan to let in two at a time. These women burst through the door, people fell, we were pinned behind the doors. There were four of us and we ended up having to use our riot batons to control these "shoppers". Three arrests for assualting us. I never looked at the "soccer mom' the same benign way again.

This dreadful incident leaves me heartsick that our values have deterioated to those of the Dark Ages; humanity comes far behind greed and self. Shame on us all.

[MoMan]

kill a clerk for Chr*st..
Merry Christmas!

[Independent voter]

Keep on shopping at Walmart people - and keep on asking why there are no jobs in America anymore.

The US has lost over 3 million manufacturing jobs to China and India. When you buy defective krahp from these countries (a little melamine in your pet food anybody?) you put Americans out of work.

[Kassandra]

And THAT is the truth! Buying from Wal-mart is about as good for your well being and family as voting Republican has been.

check this out: http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-licops305946904nov30,0,208294.story

a bit of a blow back for Wal-mart????

[formerprosecutor]

try melamine in our OWN baby formula (CNN this morning) the FDA doesn't "think" it is at hermful levels ; no recall

[bluekatz]

FDA=F.. UCKING DUMB A>S>SES. These mor0ns have allowed Monsanto to do its bidding in the food markets so why would anyone think they would check on the foods coming from overseas?

[javaz]

It's not just Wal-Mart.
Ever shop at Dillards or Macy's or JC Penney or Target?
The majority of clothes and other goods are made in China or India.
I'd like to buy products made in the USA, but trouble is I can't find one single store that sells them.

[readmewell22]

Almost every item in the store is made in China.