Black Friday stampede

If news about the economy isn’t depressing enough, then what about the story about the Wal-Mart security temp who got trampled to death by Black Friday bargain hunters? Is getting $20 off a vacuum cleaner or what have you so important that you have to get up in the middle of the night and fight your way through the doors of Wal-Mart? The answer, at least at the Valley Stream Wal-Mart on Long Island, is yes. Shoppers broke down the doors at 5am on Black Friday and fatally crushed 34-year-old Jdimytai Damour.

A week later, on December 3, Damour’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Wal-Mart, the Valley Stream shopping center, and the security company contracted by Wal-Mart and for which Damour worked. The lawsuit states that Wal-Mart did not provide a safe environment for employees or for the public. This statement is echoed by the largest grocery employees union in New York, which has called for an investigation of Wal-Mart and its safety practices.

This was posted on Friday, December 5th, 2008 and is filed in the Legal, Public Safety categories.