By COLLEEN LONG
NEW YORK
A Wal-Mart worker was killed Friday after an "out of control" throng of shoppers eager for post-Thanksgiving bargains broke down the doors at a suburban store and knocked him to the ground, police said.
At least four other people, including a woman eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island was closed for several hours. It reopened shortly after 1 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."
Nassau police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the Wal-Mart doors at the mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the man to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.
Nassau police spokesman Lt. Michael Fleming, who described the scene as "utter chaos," said, "This crowd was out of control."
Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help the man were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said. Witnesses said that even as the worker lay on the ground, shoppers streamed into the store, stepping over him.
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,'" she said. "They kept shopping."
The 34-year-old man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m., police said. The exact cause of death has not been determined, and the man's name was not released.
A 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital, where she and the baby were reported to be OK, said police Sgt. Anthony Repalone. At least three other people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.
Police 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 industry's largest retail group said the incident was rare.
"We are not aware of any other circumstances where a retail employee has died working on the day after Thanksgiving," said Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman at National Retail Federation.
The Los Angeles Times also reported that frustration and impatience caused several small fights to break out in the crowd outside a Best Buy in suburban Los Angeles before doors opened, according to police patrolling the front of the store.
Shoppers around the country line up early outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving in the annual bargain-hunting ritual known as Black Friday. It got that name because it has historically been the day when stores broke into profitability for the full year.
Many stores open early and stay open late. The Valley Stream Wal-Mart usually opens at 9 a.m.
Items on sale at the Wal-Mart store included a $798 Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV, a Bissel Compact Upright Vacuum for $28, a Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera for $69 and DVDs such as "The Incredible Hulk" for $9.
AP retail writers Anne D'Innocenzio and Mae Anderson and contributed to this report.
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This is what we've become
So many comments attempting to spin this tragedy into something that it is not.
This has nothing to do with crowd control but instead everything to do with GREED. Abject greed in a uncivilized society that holds itself to be above all reproach. How shameful.
Walmart Tragedy
First and foremost, my condolances go out to the victim's family. In my opinion, this situation could have been avoided by adding more security and better crowd control of some sort. What really gets me, is the crowd's mentality: Let's keep on shopping despite trampling over someone. Maybe WalMart should not have this kind of event again. Or at least have a better system in place. It amounts to pure greed and impatience on the part of the shoppers who came out to this sale. And the really bad part of it all, was the attitude of some of the shopppers they actuall got angry as they were told of the death and that the sale had to stop. Talk about cold hearted! "I've waited in line since last night!" Oh please, give me a break! Apparently no one cared and that getting a bargin was more important than someone's life! That is totally outrageous and low! I bet donuts to $$ that if it had been someone they knew, their tone/attitude would have been different. Shameful! I hope they find the person/persons responsible and hold them accountable. I hope WalMart changes its policy. Both, in my opinion are equally responsible.
Walmart is at fault
When you operate any kind of event that generates a crowd, you are responsible for implementing crowd control. It's everything from making sure too many people aren't trying to move through a bottleneck to having fire escape plans and security to handle disruptive people. Imagine if an organizer for a concert or sporting event just let a big crowd cram into the gate.
Out-of-control shoppers
How amazing is it that some guy died because of holiday shoppers? Are we so consumed with shopping that someone was trampled to death over it? I hope those tramplers feel good about their items and themselves, at the expense of someone else's life. May their Christmases be haunted!
Stupid holiday shoppers are the reason I much prefer to shop on-line.
It's Wal Mart's Fault?
So if someone is shot and killed in a murder, it's the gun's fault using your logic...
Reasonable man standard
Did this store have problems before? If so, there should have been guards hired. I've been at the mercy of the "potential victims beware" mentality at a British soccer (football) match 20 years ago (hopefully it has gotten better since then). Seats were sold but mostly "standing room" tickets were sold to an event between crosstown rivals (Birmingham-Birmingham City). Well, when you sell standing room, you don't ever stop selling tickets, no matter how many people show up. We were still in line with about 2000 people when the game started. A push began from the back towards two little fenced off areas that led by the two ticket booths. People standing ten abreast were suddenly forced towards these two narrow entries by shoving from behind. My husband (then fiance) found another fenced area to lift me into as I was one of only several women in the crowd and couldn't breathe (taller guys around me).
Don't ever get caught in a stampede. It is atrocious!
Smithfield Foods
has the right idea... just drag the creatures by their ears and smack them with sticks to get them moving safely. If it looks like the herd is getting unruly just hit the biggest one with a shockstick and have some handlers roll him through the chute.
i am guessing
that Walmart will no longer use the term "door busters" to describe their black friday sales........
What a World
Come on Folks, Walmart has some 'Duty' in this tragedy. I believe the family, if they so chose(its way to early, they probably are in shock)...has a case against Walmart. For the people who trampled...involuntary manslaugther. Play the video and look for your suspects...arrest them...try them...and sentence them.
Walmart Is Not At Fault
How can you people say it's Walmart's fault for having a sale? That's capitalism and free enterprise. Having sales is what businesses do. Duh! You people ned to get a grip on reality. The people who trampled this man to death are the ones at fault and should be charged with murder. All because of their greed did a man die today.
it is walmart's fault!
i just read the comment of a reader who said it was not walmart's fault but the people in line. not true! it was a sale highly promoted by walmart for the sole purpose of bringing large crowds out at an early hour. they encourage these crowds thru major advertising that they pay thousands of dollars for but yet they cannot manage to pay money for proper security? their sale, their property, their responsibility!!!
What a bunch of low lifes
What a bunch of low lifes
hold walmart responsible!
how dare walmart or any other business continue to promote this outrageous behavior! every year there are numerous incidences like this but every year the businesses just get greedier and greedier just like the people who stampeded thru doors with total disregard for anyone else but themselves! i hope the family of this poor man sues walmart for everything they have. could walmart not have afforded numerous security guards and to put up a marked off single line to control the crowd? does it take a college degree to figure out that that many crazy people cannot fit thru a small door at the same time? i am sick of all the afterthoughts that go into figuring out how to not let this happen again. figure it out walmart and other businesses who promote these crazy sales that people actually kill for!!!
utterly ridiculous. Is a
utterly ridiculous. Is a flat screen tV really worth a man's life? I guess to some people it is. This is sad but its not Wal-Mart's fault it the inconsiderate people who just had get that flat screen so bad that instead spending quality time with their family on Thanksgiving they stood in front of the local Wal-Mart.
fault
Wal-Mart was the one that set up this scenario for this shopping event.i was at a concert once and had about 3k people in back of me and almost got trampled if i didn't keep up.they need to install the zigzag cattle gates for this type of shopping just long enough to get the crowds down.i don't need to stand in line to save a couple dollars specially when people get like they do.when they advertise sales and limited supply's of sale items it causes people to get reckless.domino's pizza stopped the 30 minutes or free campaign because of the drivers having accidents trying to make the time cutoff.that store has the first obligation to the safety of its shoppers,they wanted to make money and were responsible for the accident that followed.once you start a stampede you cant just turn it off,it is like stopping a train.most people now days wont stop for anything,even to help a dieing man laying in the road.i don't need the sale items bad enough to cause a death or camp out in front of your stores for 6 hours.i am very saddened for that man that died trying to earn a wage,and for his family god bless all of you.
Second Photograph
Look at the "anxious shoppers"in the second photograph waiting for the store to reopen. They probably had to draw lots to see who the next employee to man the doors would be.
Greedy & Self Centered
Why sue Walmart? They did nothing wrong. This just goes to show you how low we americans have become. We are so greedy and self centered that no one gave a thought to the man on the ground. We have become a sad society.
Truly sad...
This is why I stayed home in be until 9:00 a.m. I'd only go out with a gun if it was me. Hope his family sue's Walmart for about 500 Trillion dollars at least.