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

[Missourian]

The problen, is, is which were doing the shoving and which were shoved?
I heard on the radio today that the doors were pushed open 5 minutes before the store was due to open. So, I now think Walmart has less responsibility for inciting a riot as I thought before.

I heard that too:


"Chaos erupted inside the Valley Stream store at 5 a.m. Friday when an "out-of-control" mob of frenzied shoppers smashed through the mechanized front doors, trampling 34-year-old Jdimytai Damour.

Several employees were knocked to the ground and others were sent scurrying atop vending machines to avoid the masses.

Damour, a temporary maintenance worker, was seen gasping for air as shoppers continued to surge inside, witnesses said." Day after stampede ... shopping: LI Wal-Mart reopens after worker fatally trampled

 

[Anguille]

Walmart knows damn well that shoppers don't give a shit when it comes to a sale on a limited item on Black Friday.

They have a responsibility to provide a safe shopping environment.

This being said, I certainly don't take any blame away from the shoppers.

Walmart certainly is responsible in a major way but they share it with those who initiated the push that broke down the doors.

 

[Paulie]

Walmart certainly is responsible in a major way but they share it with those who initiated the push that broke down the doors.

Hence:

This being said, I certainly don't take any blame away from the shoppers.

 

[dilloduck]

Walmart certainly is responsible in a major way but they share it with those who initiated the push that broke down the doors.

Bullshit--businesses can't be expected to predict mob behavior and therefore plan for it. Is every business that serves the public now going to have to train and hire riot control teams ? And if someone allegic to pepper spray has a fatal asthma attack ?

 

[Annie]

Bullshit--businesses can't be expected to predict mob behavior and therefore plan for it. Is every business that serves the public now going to have to train and hire riot control teams ? And if someone allegic to pepper spray has a fatal asthma attack ?

Nonsense, when the line exceeded 500, they should have reevaluated. At 1k, most definitely should have called the police, agreeing to pay for. At 1500, apb. They were at 2k when key went into door.

 

[dilloduck]

Nonsense, when the line exceeded 500, they should have reevaluated. At 1k, most definitely should have called the police, agreeing to pay for. At 1500, apb. They were at 2k when key went into door.

Is that the law where you live ?

 

[Lycurgus]

Well this does get interesting ..........

As a business person if I am going to host an event which can draw a large numbers of people, then I do need to make sure that my facilities are setup to properly handle the number according to local laws. This would include crowd control.

In turn, I cannot be responsible for individual actions of each person, most of all if they are not even all the way inside the event.

So though I am not a lawyer, from the business owners point of view, I think that local codes and such would need to be looked at.

Now, all that aside, as a person who has put on and hosted such events, common sense must rule and in my opinion I expect myself to do what is needed to properly handle and care for the crowd I hope to have, no matter what local codes and rules may call for.

Still, above all personal responsibility needs to be stressed here. Frankly I find it ridiculous that people would act like that and I think the blame falls to them. Because no matter what the business does, if these people want to act like animals, they are going to.

 

[Paulie]

Nonsense, when the line exceeded 500, they should have reevaluated. At 1k, most definitely should have called the police, agreeing to pay for. At 1500, apb. They were at 2k when key went into door.

Besides the APB thing, I agree with this.

This shit happens every year on Black Friday. There's no excuse for not being fully prepared to deal with the IMMINENT unruly behavior.

 

[Paulie]

This same exact thing happened at my 2 local walmarts.

The only difference was no one was hurt.

 

[dilloduck]

Well this does get interesting ..........

As a business person if I am going to host an event which can draw a large numbers of people, then I do need to make sure that my facilities are setup to properly handle the number according to local laws. This would include crowd control.

In turn, I cannot be responsible for individual actions of each person, most of all if they are not even all the way inside the event.

So though I am not a lawyer, from the business owners point of view, I think that local codes and such would need to be looked at.

Now, all that aside, as a person who has put on and hosted such events, common sense must rule and in my opinion I expect myself to do what is needed to properly handle and care for the crowd I hope to have, no matter what local codes and rules may call for.

Still, above all personal responsibility needs to be stressed here. Frankly I find it ridiculous that people would act like that and I think the blame falls to them. Because no matter what the business does, if these people want to act like animals, they are going to.

Think this one thru everyone---You are planning a sale and you have to determine how many people will come to it and how they will behave ?? This "they should have" hindsight is bullshit. It is IMPOSSIBLE to predict EVERYTHING people will do but it damn sure easy to second guess it AFTER it happens. Excusing this kind of behavior and victimizing the crowd by claiming they were forced to act like fucking stampedeing cattle is sinking us.

 

[Lycurgus]

Besides the APB thing, I agree with this.

This shit happens every year on Black Friday. There's no excuse for not being fully prepared to deal with the IMMINENT unruly behavior.

And see, this is where I think the business could have some problems. The facts that this is not something new and that they did nothing to try and ease the situation. Between a good lawyer and the right jury, it could turn into a whopper of a case.

Nevertheless, that doesn't change my personal feelings that the individuals are responsible, they are the ones who 'chose' to act as they did, no one forced them.

It really is sad that a material thing which we might be able to save an extra 10 bucks on, is so damn important to harm another or in this case, take their life.

 

[Paulie]

Think this one thru everyone---You are planning a sale and you have to determine how many people will come to it and how they will behave ?? This "they should have" hindsight is bullshit. It is IMPOSSIBLE to predict EVERYTHING people will do but it damn sure easy to second guess it AFTER it happens. Excusing this kind of behavior and victimizing the crowd by claiming they were forced to act like fucking stampedeing cattle is sinking us.

I would agree with this only if this crap didn't happen every single year on Black Friday, but it does. It doesn't take hindsight to know it is bound to happen, especially at the cheapest retailer.

 

[Lycurgus]

Think this one thru everyone---You are planning a sale and you have to determine how many people will come to it and how they will behave ?? This "they should have" hindsight is bullshit. It is IMPOSSIBLE to predict EVERYTHING people will do but it damn sure easy to second guess it AFTER it happens. Excusing this kind of behavior and victimizing the crowd by claiming they were forced to act like fucking stampedeing cattle is sinking us.

Your right!

 

[dilloduck]

Besides the APB thing, I agree with this.

This shit happens every year on Black Friday. There's no excuse for not being fully prepared to deal with the IMMINENT unruly behavior.

Holy shit---IMMINENT unruly behavior ?? You find nothing wrong with people so full of selfishness that they will trampled each other to death? You can't stop shit like this without resorting to a police state. Get out your microchip implant and good luck. Huge crowds are attracted to all kinds of events at least every week and you EXPECT IMIMNENT UNRULY BEHAVIOR ?

 

[dilloduck]

I would agree with this only if this crap didn't happen every single year on Black Friday, but it does. It doesn't take hindsight to know it is bound to happen, especially at the cheapest retailer.

Bullshit---how many time in the US has a person been killed when a crowd stampeded to get a TV ?

 

[Paulie]

Holy shit---IMMINENT unruly behavior ?? You find nothing wrong with people so full of selfishness that they will trampled each other to death? You can't stop shit like this without resorting to a police state. Get out your microchip implant and good luck. Huge crowds are attracted to all kinds of events at least every week and you EXPECT IMIMNENT UNRULY BEHAVIOR ?

When it happens every year, yeah, I expect it.

My girlfriend works at walmart part time. She had to be in at 5am. We joked the night before about how long after the doors opened before someone got trampled.

Have you been to a ballgame lately? Cops line the outskirts of the field, and there's a security person at every section's entrance. I expect unruly behavior THERE, too, because the environment is ripe for it. Just like at a one-time sale at the world's largest and cheapest retailer, with very limited supply.

You've never read or heard the stories from past Black Fridays? I remember people being hurt and killed during the Tickle Me Elmo craze, and the Furby craze.

 

[dilloduck]

When it happens every year, yeah, I expect it.

My girlfriend works at walmart part time. She had to be in at 5am. We joked the night before about how long after the doors opened before someone got trampled.

Have you been to a ballgame lately? Cops line the outskirts of the field, and there's a security person at every section's entrance. I expect unruly behavior THERE, too, because the environment is ripe for it. Just like at a one-time sale at the world's largest and cheapest retailer, with very limited supply.

You've never read or heard the stories from past Black Fridays? I remember people being hurt and killed during the Tickle Me Elmo craze, and the Furby craze.

and yet if there WAS a stampede at a football game it would happen so fast the security people couldn't do shit to stop it and someone would bitch that there "SHOULD HAVE BEEN _______" in place too. Shit happens. We are guranteed to lose every right we have if someone is responsible for predicting human behavior.

 

[Paulie]

and yet if there WAS a stampede at a football game it would happen so fast the security people couldn't do shit to stop it and someone would bitch that there "SHOULD HAVE BEEN _______" in place too. Shit happens. We are guranteed to lose every right we have if someone is responsible for predicting human behavior.

I agree with you for the most part, Dillo. But I think you're making a mountain out of a mole hill. I'm not saying there should be riot teams and such. I'm just saying these places should devise a plan for orderly patronage on the one day out of the year where stampedes are a common occurance at retail outlets selling limited supply, highly demanded items on sale.

And the only "rights" you have at Walmart, a private business, are the ones they offer you. Just like HERE.

 

[Annie]

I agree with you for the most part, Dillo. But I think you're making a mountain out of a mole hill. I'm not saying there should be riot teams and such. I'm just saying these places should devise a plan for orderly patronage on the one day out of the year where stampedes are a common occurance at retail outlets selling limited supply, highly demanded items on sale.

And the only "rights" you have at Walmart, a private business, are the ones they offer you. Just like HERE.

You and I are saying the same. May have happened prior, but if surprised, still should have happened. How hard to call the police and say, "We thought we'd have 500, maybe 800, it's becoming obvious the numbers are going to exceed a 1k. We need help with crowd control...

 

[sylverfoxx]

Besides the APB thing, I agree with this.

This shit happens every year on Black Friday. There's no excuse for not being fully prepared to deal with the IMMINENT unruly behavior.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
Imminent unruly behavior? Yes, I would say so !

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/11/29/gal_walmart_stampede_06.jpg

http://cdnll-8.liveleak.com/s/18/me...09aa3070c41f36535a1300cc9&e=1228507071&rs=150


http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/11/29/gal_walmart_stampede_01.jpg