By COLLEEN LONG, Associated Press Writer 1 hr 14 mins ago
NEW YORK – Police were reviewing video from surveillance cameras in an attempt to identify who trampled to death a Wal-Mart worker after a crowd of post-Thanksgiving shoppers burst through the doors at a suburban store and knocked him down. Criminal charges were possible, but identifying individual shoppers in Friday's video may prove difficult, said Detective Lt. Michael Fleming, a Nassau County police spokesman. Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers stepped over him and became irate when officials said the store was closing because of the death, police and witnesses said. At least four other people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries. The store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening. Police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the Wal-Mart doors before its 5 a.m. opening at a mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the employee, identified by police as Jdimytai Damour, to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion. "This crowd was out of control," Fleming said. He described the scene as "utter chaos," and said the store didn't have enough security. Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help Damour were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said. Shoppers stepped over the man on the ground and streamed into the store. Damour, 34, of Queens, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 6 a.m., police said. The exact cause of death has not been determined. 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. 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." Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based 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. It said it tried to prepare for the crowd by adding staffers and outside security workers, putting up barricades and consulting police. "Despite all of our precautions, this unfortunate event occurred," senior Vice President Hank Mullany said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those impacted." A woman reported being trampled by overeager customers at a Wal-Mart opening Friday in Farmingdale, about 15 miles east of Valley Stream, Suffolk County police said. She suffered minor injuries, but finished shopping before filling the report, police said. ...........................................http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081129/ap_on_re_us/wal_mart_death
OMG......and they talk about 'corporate greed'!!!!!!!!!! This is a case of greed personified!!!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Sad. Greed. Disturbing. That's about all I can say. To trample people to DEATH because you'll save a few dollars on something you can't afford anyway (and will probably put on a credit card).
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
On a day when many people around the world are mourning the loss of life in a major terrorist attack in India, hundreds of our fellow New Yorkers broke down the doors to a store and trampled a man to death in their frenzy to save some money on Christmas presents [Nov. 30]. On the day after we were supposed to give thanks for the gifts we have been given, one man’s family will face life without him because of the insatiable desire of corporations to make money and the insane need to be among those who will save a few dollars on items that will be forgotten while that family has to remember their loved one every day. It is unlikely that anyone will ever be held accountable for what happened, but perhaps some one will see that story and stop to reflect on what type of example this behavior sets for our children and what the “religious” holiday of Christmas has come to mean. I urge everyone who is bothered by this story to make a donation to a food pantry and give thanks by helping our fellow Americans who will be fortunate if they can afford to eat on Christmas Day, never mind buy presents for their families. Let it shine! SHARON FLOOD Schenectady
Black Friday fatality details emerge Wal-Mart temp inexperienced in crowd control
BY FRANK ELTMAN The Associated Press
MINEOLA — A worker trampled to death when hundreds of customers stormed into a Wal-Mart for early morning “Black Friday” bargains had no experience in crowd control and was placed at the entrance of the store because of his hulking, 270-pound frame, police and a lawyer said Monday. The details about the deadly holiday shopping stampede came out as police pored over video surveillance provided by the store as they considered possible criminal charges. Lawyers were also preparing to file lawsuits over the episode. Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey noted that the worker, Jdimytai Damour, was 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, making the trampling all the more stunning. He was killed when a crowd estimated at 2,000 broke down the electronic doors in frantic pursuit of bargains on big-screen TVs, clothing and other items. “Literally anyone, those hundreds of people who did make their way into the store, literally had to step over or around him or unfortunately on him to get into the Wal-Mart store,” said Mulvey. Mulvey said an autopsy found Damour, 34, died of asphyxiation related to his trampling, and he conceded that it would be difficult to file criminal charges against any of the shoppers. “It goes beyond identifying specific people to make a case,” Mulvey said. “You have to establish recklessness or intent to harm, which led to his death.” Attorney Jordan Hecht, who represents Damour’s three sisters, said the family declined to make any public statements about the man’s death. He said funeral arrangements were still pending. Hecht said Damour had only been working at the Wal-Mart about a week and was hired through an employment agency that provides temporary staffing. He said Damour had not been trained for any security assignments and had no background in crowd control. A call to the employment agency seeking comment was not immediately returned. ‘TRAGIC SITUATION’ Wal-Mart Stores Inc., in a statement Friday, called the incident a “tragic situation” and said it had tried to prepare for the crowd by adding staffers and outside security workers, putting up barricades and consulting police. “Despite all of our precautions, this unfortunate event occurred,” senior Vice President Hank Mullany said. Working through a spokesman, Mullany did not specifically comment on Mulvey’s remarks Monday, but said the store was cooperating with investigators. Hecht said he was considering a lawsuit, but no decision had been made. Two other injured shoppers filed a notice of claim Monday, the first step toward proceeding with a lawsuit. At least four other people were treated and released at nearby hospitals after the stampede, including a woman who was eight months pregnant. Mulvey said while investigators are still piecing together the details, it is apparent to him that the Wal-Mart store lacked adequate security to handle the crowds of...................................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar01400
So they sue....big freakin' deal......the man shouldn't have to be 'trained' in crowd control......I'm sorry....but that is what happens when church mixes with state.....Christmas should never have become a federal holiday.......see what happens when we 'steal' that which is not ours......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Family of NY man trampled by shoppers sue Wal-Mart
By FRANK ELTMAN
GARDEN CITY, N.Y.
The family of a worker trampled to death in a "Black Friday" crush of bargain hunters at a Long Island Wal-Mart store filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on Wednesday, claiming store ads offering deep discounts "created an atmosphere of competition and anxiety" that led to "crowd craze."
The lawsuit claims that besides failing to provide adequate security for a pre-dawn crowd estimated at 2,000, Wal-Mart "engaged in specific marketing and advertising techniques to specifically attract a large crowd and create an environment of frenzy and mayhem and was otherwise careless, reckless and negligent."
Wal-Mart, the adjacent Green Acres Mall, a realty company that manages the property and a security company hired to patrol the property were all named as defendants. A spokeswoman for the realty company declined to comment, and none of the other defendants immediately responded to phone and e-mail inquiries seeking comment.
Jdimytai Damour, 34, had been hired by an employment agency as a temporary worker at the Wal-Mart store in Valley Stream and had been on the job about a week when he died, said his family's lawyer, Jordan Hecht.
The 6-foot-5, 270-pound man died of asphyxiation after being crushed early Friday morning by the crowd, which broke down the electronic doors in frantic pursuit of bargains. At least four other people were treated at hospitals, including a woman who was eight months pregnant.
Wal-Mart death report released on safety issues Police: Store responsible for security The Associated Press
MINEOLA — Rope lines, numbered tickets and walkie-talkies for store employees could help control frenzied bargain-hunters, police said in a report issued after a Wal-Mart worker was killed in a Black Friday stampede. Nassau County police released recommendations two weeks after meeting with 75 Long Island retailers about how to stage major sales events safely. Retailers and police had debated who should take the lead on securing discount-hungry crowds after temporary Wal-Mart worker Jdimytai Damour was trampled to death the day after Thanksgiving in Valley Stream. The report said that while county police would respond if needed, “the responsibility for the security and control of these sales events rests with the store. Store administrators should never market a sales event without having a plan and the proper resources to manage it.” A pre-dawn horde of about 2,000 shoppers broke down the doors of the Wal-Mart and rushed past Damour, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound man stationed near the entrance to assist with crowd control. At least four other people were hurt. The police report said stores should plan security for sales events months in advance, assign enough staffers to manage expected customer traffic and train workers before the event. Police said in the days after the stampede that Damour, 34, had no experience with crowd control and had been hired a week earlier from a temporary agency. He died of asphyxiation after being crushed by the crowd, authorities said. The report recommended setting up barricades or rope lines to manage crowds before the sale, handing out wristbands or numbered tickets to arriving customers, positioning store employees in the parking lot and providing them radios to share information. Patrons should enter the stores in smaller groups, not all at once, retailers should have maps showing where to find the hottest sales items and patrons should be kept out once the store reaches maximum occupancy, the report said. Stores should call police if crowds become unruly and plan who to call in a medical emergency, but they should also have defibrillators on hand and staffers trained to use them, the report said. “We look forward to continuing to.......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar01400
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