« Friday Gumpagraph | Main | Afghan President Wishes He Could Shoot Down US Planes »
November 28, 2008
| Black Friday | Economy |
This is horrible, on so many levels. NY Daily News:
A Wal-Mart worker died after being trampled when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors of a Long Island store Friday morning, police and witnesses said.The 34-year-old worker, employed as an overnight stock clerk, tried to hold back the unruly crowds just after the Valley Stream store opened at 5 a.m.
Witnesses said the surging throngs of shoppers knocked the man down. He fell and was stepped on. As he gasped for air, shoppers ran over and around him.
"He was bum-rushed by 200 people," said Jimmy Overby, 43, a co-worker. "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."
The unidentified victim was rushed to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:03 a.m., police said.
The cause of death was pending.
A 28-year-old pregnant woman was knocked to the floor during the mad rush. She was hospitalized for observation, police said.
Three other shoppers suffered minor injuries, cops said.
Before police shut down the store, eager shoppers streamed past emergency crews as they worked furiously to save the store clerk's life.
"They were working on him, but you could see he was dead, said Halcyon Alexander, 29. "People were still coming through."
Only a few stopped.
"They're savages," said shopper Kimberly Cribbs, 27. "It's sad. It's terrible."
Other reports indicate the pregnant woman miscarried. Shoppers ignored Wal-Mart employees' requests that they leave the store.
It's not like people were fighting to get air or water. They were fighting to be first in line to get some crappy stuff for Christmas. But they've been programmed to the point where I guess that seems like air or water.
An artist's rendering (shewhomeasures.com, via Cryptogon):
Posted by Jonathan at November 28, 2008 11:53 AM
