Folks, I am speechless about this story. This has gone too far and it seems that every year, someone is hurt because these stores create such a terrible frenzy and quite honestly, I think that its time that they be held accountable for crowd control. Please read on.
This story comes from Colleen Long, Associated Press Writer and it was written today!
NEW YORK – A worker was killed in the crush Friday after a throng of shoppers eager for post-Thanksgiving bargains burst through the doors at a suburban Wal-Mart, authorities said.
At least four other people were injured, and the store in Valley Stream on Long Island was closed.
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.
"He was bum-rushed by 200 people," co-worker Jimmy Overby, 43, told the Daily News. "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."
Nassau County police said the 34-year-old worker was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m. The man's name was not released and the cause of death was not immediately known.
A police statement said shortly after the store's 5 a.m. opening time, shoppers "physically broke down the doors, knocking (the worker) to the ground."
A metal portion of the door was crumpled like an accordion.
Shoppers around the country lined up early outside stores in the annual bargain hunting ritual known as Black Friday. Many stores open early and stay open late, and some of the most dramatic bargains are available in limited quantities.
Among the bargains offered by Wal-Mart for Friday were Samsung 50-inch high definition Plasma TVs for less than $800.
Witnesses told the Daily News that before the store was closed, eager shoppers streamed past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the worker's life.
"They were working on him, but you could see he was dead," said Halcyon Alexander, 29. "People were still coming through."
A 28-year-old pregnant woman was taken to a hospital for observation, and she and the unborn baby were both reported to be OK, said Sgt. Anthony Repalone, a Nassau County police spokesman. Four or five other people suffered minor injuries, he said.
Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman at National Retail Federation, said the group knew of no other incident where a retail employee has died working on the day after Thanksgiving.
Wal-Mart is working closely with police, company spokesman Dan Fogleman said.
"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," Fogleman said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this difficult time."
So here is my thought on this terrible trajedy.
Ok, I am sorry but I strongly feel that Wal-Mart has some responsibility in this situation. Year after year, Wal-Mart does the same thing and last year, there was a report that one of the workers was literally throwing laptops and other electronic equipment to the shopping crowds which cause complete havoc.
I am not implying that these stores should hold full responsibility. Crowds who rush in to these stores andTRAMPLE a human should be held accountable as well and quite honestly, I think that this type of activity is a prosecutable one as well.
If someone is going to trample over another human being so they can buy a STUPID laptop, then I firmly believe that manslaughter charges should be brought against them. It is completely irresponsible for people to disregard the safety of others just because they want to buy the next big deal and it is just as irresponsible for a store to not have COMPLETE CONTROL over the shoppers.
Keep in mind folks, violence has occurred before when Wal-Mart does this. This "free for all" is VERY dangerous and I have even spoken with some Wal-Mart employees and they will tell you that if you don't get out of the way and fast, you will get hurt. This is COMPLETELY insane!
There has been complete pandaemonium before at Wal-Mart during these shopping frenzies and it is about time that corporate Wal-Mart take control of this situation. Creating such a frenzy is dangerous and irresponsible and the crowds who trampled over this employee and Wal-Mart should be held accountable!
It is real easy for a store to say that "the safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority" but every single year, this type of violence occurs and lip service is getting old! Actions speaks louder than words Wal-Mart and its about time that you bring security (real security - off duty Police Officers) in your stores on days like this so that another human being will NOT loose their life because some shoppers want to act like a herd of buffalo!
My prayers goes out to the family who lost their loved one because a herd of idiots decided that it was ok to act like a pact of animals. I am sorry for their loss and I pray that this insanity stops and I also pray that those who are responsible for this terrible tragedy are brought to justice.
Today has been a pretty stressful day for me. I am not going to re-hash issues but I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Alan for calling me this evening and chatting with me.
I know that for some, my faith may be confusing. However, my spiritual journey is really none of anyone's business and to be blasted for my faith is really low.
Alan contacted me because there were some very serious issues and we spent a good 30 minutes chatting about my faith and my ordination. I understand that there are people who want me to publicize who ordained and consecrated me and I find that interesting. There are lots of claims in the paranormal field, but I never ask for credentials from anyone else but yet, there are those that will demand them of me.
The reason that I have not released the names of those who ordained me is because I have great respect for those individuals. The amount of hate emails that I receive from people for really stupid reasons is astonishing. You would be completely surprised and I think shocked. Therefore, I would never, ever place those very people whom I have a great deal of respect for in the line of fire. You see, they would be receiving the hate emails every single day as well from the very ones who constantly attack me and this is why I dont publicize the information.
I spoke with Alan and gave him all of my credentials. He has my ordination certificates, as well as my degree certificates. Yes, I do have education and they are from regionally accredited institutions. There have been many terrible rumors that I have lied about going to the roman catholic seminary and even graduating from college. These slanderous comments are upsetting and this is why I have forwarded the information to Alan.
Folks, I am not the enemy here. I am not the bad guy. I am not the competition either. I am just a human being that wants to minister to those who are less fortunate. I spend 2.5 hours in the cold in louisville passing out blankets to the homeless after my show tonight. How can this possibly be threatening? And for the record, I have never and will never receive payment for any blessings that I ever perform. I never charge and have never charged and if you hear otherwise, I am here to tell you that rumor is a blatant lie.
If people would just take the time and contact me, they would realize that I am not this evil human being or this person who has an agenda. My only mission is to help families who are struggling with spiritual issues. There are LOTS of blatant lies that are spreading within the paranormal community and all I ask is that if you have a question, please email me. If you heard that I did something stupid, just email me and ask.
Honestly, lets stop with the attacks. It is not beneficial and quite honestly, it can really take a toll on someone's spirit.
I wish you and your family a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving!
James
Favorites
Digg
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Furl
Magnolia
StumbleUpon
Google
Yahoo MyWeb
