Black Friday Worker Stampeded to Death

Here's Christmas Story for you

VALLEY STREAM (WABC) -- A Wal-Mart employee died and four others were hurt in the Black Friday rush to get into the Valley Stream store this morning.
The injuries occurred as the shoppers crammed into the Wal-Mart when the doors opened at 5 a.m. Some 2,000 shoppers were waiting to get inside the store for Black Friday sales.
Police said the shoppers knocked the man to the ground at 5:03 a.m., three minutes after the store opened.
Kimberly Cribbs, who witnessed the stampede, said shoppers were acting like "savages.... When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning. They kept shopping."

A 34-year-old Wal-Mart employee suffered an apparent heart attack and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy will determine the exact cause of death. His name was not released.
Four others were also hurt in the crush, including a 28-year-old pregnant woman. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors determined her baby was fine.
The store was closed to incoming shoppers following the incident. Those already inside were escorted out with their purchases.
The ensuing emergency activity clogged the Green Acres Mall parking lot. The Wal-Mart remained closed while police investigated.
Nassau County police spokesman Lt. Michael Fleming described the scene as "utter chaos." "This crowd was out of control," he said.
Criminal charges were possible in the case, but Fleming said it would be difficult to identify individual shoppers. Authorities were reviewing surveillance video.
The store reopened around 1:00 p.m.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.
"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," said Wal-Mart representative Dan Fogleman. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this difficult time. At this point, facts are still being assembled and we are working closely with the Nassau County police as they investigate what occurred."
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Worker dies in Black Friday store rush - 11/28/08 - New York News and Tri-State News - 7online.com


Is this the spirit of Christmas? It is disturbing, indeed, that Americans have reduced themselves to this type of behavior all in the name of buying Christmas gifts.

Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in Black Friday stampede

Police tape surrounds a Wal-Mart that was the scene of a deadly stampede.
This photo was taken moments before the Wal-Mart store opened. Augustine for News

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

The 34-year-old employee, a temporary maintenance worker, tried to hold back the unruly crowds just after the Valley Stream store opened at 5 a.m.

Witnesses said the surging throngs of shoppers knocked the man down. He fell and was stepped on. As he gasped for air, shoppers ran over and around him.

"He was bum-rushed by 200 people," said Jimmy Overby, 43, a co-worker. "They took the doors off the hinges. He was trampled and killed in front of me. They took me down too... I literally had to fight people off my back."

The unidentified victim was rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:03 a.m., police said.

The cause of death wasn't immediately available pending results of an autopsy.

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.

Three other shoppers suffered minor injuries, cops said.

Wal-Mart spokesman Dave Tovar called the incident a "tragic situation."

"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," Tovar said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this difficult time."

Before police shut down the store, eager shoppers streamed past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the store clerk's life.

"They were working on him, but you could see he was dead, said Halcyon Alexander, 29. "People were still coming through."

Only a few stopped.

"They're savages," said shopper Kimberly Cribbs, 27. "It's sad. It's terrible."

Click to expand...

Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in Black Friday stampede



What is this world coming to!?

Even when the EMTs were working on him, shoppers just kept walking by. :roll:

Those 200 customers need to be strapped down on a train track so they know what it feels like to be run over helpless!

Oops. Just realized that Vampy started another thread about the same thing. Mods...would you merge, please?

VamPyroX said:

Worker dies at Long Island Wal-Mart after being trampled in Black Friday stampede



What is this world coming to!?

Even when the EMTs were working on him, shoppers just kept walking by. :roll:

Those 200 customers need to be strapped down on a train track so they know what it feels like to be run over helpless!

Click to expand...

I know Vampy. Merry Christmas, huh?

thats why I refuse to shop at any stores during black friday. it is too dangerous.

yea i heard about it. dang that was my old home in LI. I never like to go to any stores during black friday.

Mod Note: Threads merged.

this is unbelievable and sickening. how sad that a 34 year old man lost his life because the only thing 200 shoppers cared about was saving a little money.

Tell me about it, Some of them just don't have a true holiday spirit, they're just too busy running around being greedy and selfish. I take my time going shopping, I'm not in no rush.

When I went to my early Christmas shopping this morning at Toys R Us; one couple kept pushing me in the line just a minute before opening at 5 am, I told the couples to take it easy. They're so rude and inconsiderate. :roll:

Read about this few hours ago---very saddening. Criminal charges will definitely be brought forth. They're gonna be looking at tapes to figure out who did what and then go get the ones who didn't give a damn.

This year pretty lukewarm for me--I shopped 5-7am then went home. I didn't even wait. Just got up at 450am and drove down to the WalMart just after they opened the doors. Few key items were gone in minutes. Again this year, no problems. Kinda hard getting around but everyone were polite and not wanting to have problems. The auto places were trying to jump on the Black Friday stuff by discounting tires. The car has new tires today. Thank God.

This is something that may be off topic sorry if I am.

On the above link


I got up at 4 am. First time black Friday shopper here.

For us it wasn't that bad due to we were not there at the time of the door opening we arrived at 6 pm at Sears. Then went to wally world. AKA. Wal mart. It went pretty well for us. We were not there when the doors first opened.

Sales were good. But not worth anyones life or injuring one.

Sad how irresponsible people can act over sales. Selfish if I may say.

Black Friday shoppers out in force, but cautious

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO, AP Retail Writer Anne D'innocenzio, Ap Retail Writer 1 hr 25 mins ago

NEW YORK – Shoppers, who had snapped their wallets shut since September, turned out in force Friday to grab deals on the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, but it was clear worries about the economy tempered buying.

Preliminary reports from several major retailers including Macy's and Toys "R" Us said that crowds were at least as large as last year's, but many shoppers sounded notes of caution and concern.

Retailers extended their hours, some opening at midnight, and offered deals that were deeper and wider than the deep discounts that shoppers found throughout November.

Best Buy, which threw its doors open at 5 a.m. offered such specials as a 49-inch Panasonic plasma HDTV for $899.99 and a $189.99 GPS device by Garmin. Toys "R" Us was offering up to 60 percent discounts from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.

But the excitement over the early morning specials proved fatal for at least one store. Police from Nassau County, N.Y. say a Wal-Mart worker died after being trampled by a throng of unruly shoppers shortly after the Long Island store opened Friday. Wal-Mart offiicals would not confirm reports of stampede, but said a "medical emergency" caused them to close the store.

Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman at the National Retail Federation, the industry's largest retail group, said that she was "not aware of any other circumstances where a retail employee has died working on the day after Thanksgiving."

Many consumers, clutching the store circulars, were focused on a few bargains Friday and said they were slashing their overall holiday budgets from a year ago as they juggle paying their rent and other bills while putting food on the table amid layoffs, tightening credit and dwindling retirement accounts.

Even for the growing number of parents who were limiting their gift buying to just their children this year, financial troubles were forcing them to be stingy.

"I have never slept here before to save a few bucks, but with the economy so bad I thought that even a few dollars helps," said Analita Garcia of Falls Church, Va., who arrived at a local Best Buy store at 7 a.m. Thursday with 10 family members. She bought a 32-inch LCD TV for $400, slashed from $500, along with an iPod and several DVDs.

"This year a lot of people I know won't be getting Christmas presents. I have to pay the rent and bills, and I have two little ones at home to think of," Garcia added.

At the Best Buy store in Syracuse, N.Y., a line snaked past stores and around walkways on the second floor of Carousel Center a few moments before the store's 5 a.m. opening — about eight hours after some people near the front of the line had arrived. Rob Schoeneck, the mall's manager, estimated about 1,000 people were waiting for the electronics store to open and said the crowd was about the same size as a year ago.

Inside, Kira Carinci, 33, a teacher from Cicero, N.Y., searched for the $80 "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" video game and guitar controller bundle for her son but said she is more concerned about money than she was last holiday season. She said she had set aside a certain amount for Christmas spending.

"I don't usually save, so this year is a little different," she said.

By 3:43 a.m., about 50 people had lined up in preparation for the 5 a.m. opening at a Wal-Mart store in Cary, N.C. Shannon Keane, 38, of Cary, who arrived with her son, Miles, 13, at midnight, said she was buying only one item today: an iPod for her son.

"He really wanted this one thing," Keane said. "So we're here for this one thing."

Keane, who was recently laid off from her job at an insurance company, said she was on a budget this year because her unemployment checks were also helping support family in Colorado.

"I really can't focus on gifts," she said. "I have to focus more on helping them pay their bills. It's hard," she said of being a single mom on a small income. "I've always filled the tree. But you have to be honest. This year, I'll do the best I can."

Joyce and Kevin Kirk of Georgetown in southwest Ohio, who arrived at Kohl's at Eastgate Mall in suburban Cincinnati, at 4 a.m Friday, bought toys for the baby and clothing for her older children, mostly at 50 percent to 60 percent off.

She said they decided to focus more on the kids this year and cut down on gifts for other people. Her husband, a construction worker, wasn't getting enough work at his company and recently switched to another company.

"We just can't do as much this year because of the economy," said Joyce Kirk, who aims to cut her holiday budget to $1,000. She usually spent $3,000 to $4,000 on Christmas gifts

Black Friday received its name because it historically was the day when a surge of shoppers helped stores break into profitability for the full year. But this year, with rampant promotions of up to 70 percent throughout the month including even at luxury stores like Saks Fifth Avenue amid a deteriorating economy, the power of this landmark day for the retail industry could be fading.

Still, while it isn't a predictor of holiday sales, the day after Thanksgiving is an important barometer of people's willingness to spend for the rest of the season. And particularly this year, analysts will dissect how the economy is shaping buying habits in a season that many analysts predict could see a contraction in spending from a year ago.

Last year, the Thanksgiving shopping weekend of Friday through Sunday accounted for about 10 percent of overall holiday sales, according to ShopperTrak RCT Corp.

The group hasn't released estimates for Black Friday sales this year, but experts believe it will remain one of the season's biggest selling days, even as shoppers remain deliberate in their spending.

"This is definitely a hit-and-run mentality," said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America's Research Group. "They are running in, grabbing the deal and running out. This is what I am seeing this morning."

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Just recently, two were shot dead at Toys R Us.

cbs2.com - 2 Dead In Shooting At Toys R Us Store In Palm Desert On Black Friday

Ok this worker died from a heart attack??

If so? Then it would be so easy for the media to blame it on black Friday.

This is all terrible. I went out to the stores a little today after the first rush was over, and it was still crowded. But people here were behaving pretty well.

Damn, that is really cruel of those shoppers rushing in and not care about someone whos hurt or killed. All they think is about saving a little money, blah. I would stop to be sure that person is okay, if someone is injured. I wouldnt care about missing the sales. Theres always good deals after xmas or before xmas and its not as crowded ad Black Friday as well. You can even shop online for bargains, too. What idiot people. :roll:

I agree that it is horrible that people trample over others for merely a few bucks.

But did the employee have a pre existing heart trouble?

It is sad! I agree. But also the media loves to feed off of incidents like this to make news about Black Friday.

Oh boy, yep.. the city train totally packed ride to the Mall of America bus/train station for black friday, lot of shoppers at the Mall of America.

One of the possible explanations why the man died is that his chest recieved a blow from a stampade at a very bad timing. It's called commotio cordis. When a chest gets a blow within a VERY narrow range of few milliseconds of a heartbeat (just WHEN the heart starts to relax), the heart loses its track of its heartbeat and goes into cardiac arrest. If the chest gets a blow at a different timing, the heart will reset its heartbeat just fine.