Worker trampled in stampede as shoppers hunt for bargains

Ashley Jones, Staff Columnist
Published On: 12/ 2/2008

After the momentous day of constant eating, Thanksgiving, there is the consumer-made holiday of Black Friday, the first official round of Christmas shopping.

We always joke about the dangers of Black Friday, our mothers telling us to be careful and watch how we drive because of those crazy bargain hunters, but a Long Island man found these warnings to be true.

According to the “New York Post,” at 6:03 a.m. on Friday, just an hour and three minutes after the doors of Wal-Mart opened, temporary worker Jdimytai Damour was pronounced dead, due to injuries sustained while opening the doors of the Wal-Mart he had been assigned to through a temporary work placement.

A crowd of at least 2,000 people rushed through the doors of the Wal-Mart to purchase electronics and toys at significantly reduced prices.

The saddest part of this, as customers and eyewitnesses said in the “New York Post’s” video coverage of the event, Black Friday is simply a series of sales that last five or six hours at most, and are not the lowest prices that can be found, although advertisements say differently.

This death and the trampling of four other people, including a woman who was 8 months pregnant could have been avoided if businesses just had low prices, and if our society didn’t place such value on material items.

Which is more valuable to you? A low-priced flat-screen TV or a man’s life? Were you one of the frantic shoppers on Black Friday?

Chances are, the people at the Wal-Mart in Long Island didn’t even feel Damour’s crumpled body under their feet, but I’m sure he felt every step.

Next time, how about we try to slow down, and have a safe holiday season? Just because it’s called Black Friday doesn’t have to make it a nightmare for real.

Email: ashleymj@uab.edu