Atty: Trampled Man Had No Crowd Training

(CBS/AP)  A family attorney says a temporary worker trampled to death by customers at a New York-area Wal-Mart store had no training in crowd control.

Lawyer Jordan Hecht said Monday that Jdimytai Damour had been working at the Long Island store for only about a week when frenzied shoppers knocked him down on the day after the Thanksgiving holiday, which is known for its huge sales.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey says a preliminary investigation shows Wal-Mart failed to provide adequate security outside the store.

Wal-Mart did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It has said security precautions were in place.

Nassau County police say an autopsy found Damour died of asphyxiation related to his trampling.

Police were reviewing video from surveillance cameras in an attempt to identify who trampled to death Damour.

Criminal charges were possible, but identifying individual shoppers in Friday's video may prove difficult, said Detective Lt. Michael Fleming, a Nassau County police spokesman.

Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers stepped over him and became irate when officials said the store was closing because of the death, police and witnesses said.

At least four other people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries. The store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening.

Police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the Wal-Mart doors before its 5 a.m. opening at a mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the employee, identified by police as Jdimytai Damour, to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.

"This crowd was out of control," Fleming said. He described the scene as "utter chaos," and said the store didn't have enough security.

[liberate40]

Walmart claims to have security precautions in place? What security? One employee is dead, because of a mob mentality among shoppers. Do they think hiring one big guy as a temp for crowd control is enough? Walmart os too cheap to hire a professional security team for crowd control. They have to keep their execs plush with money. These days, I would rather spend my money online and not at Walmart.

[barbaram99]

Blame the people. No body has any manners. People are in a hurry to get and not care about their fellow human beings. EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE IN A HURRY TO BUY WHATEVER. It has turnt into *I want and I will get it over others before ye do* thinking. Sorry That is not me. My friend asked me what I want for Christmas,I said not much .

[bks59]

this is not the first time such an incident has occurred, yet businessess continue to have these types of events, yes Walmart has a level of liability here, they created an event that lead to the loss of life.

but then too, it is the "I have to save that $0.50" mentality that drives normal people to do unpalatable things.

[oldguy4truth]

My race , your reace, the human race.


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Posted by oldguy4truth

And oh yes, the Titanic was another good example.

[oldguy4truth]

That would have been the human race....
At Auschwitz , when they would open the crematorials after they would gass hundreds of victoms at a time, the scene was always the same. The stack of bodies wouls always go from the smallest children, the weak the sick the woman , then the strongest at the top where the last oxygen was. A mob will always form when they are Fear, Hate, and in this case greed. The sad part is I see this greed , selfishness, lack of common courtasy, everywhere I go. They are the People that break in lines at the food serving lines at resturants. At the gas pumps. And yes, at the food stamp office. My race , your reace, the human race.

[earache4]

I,m not part of a hating race. I just asked what race was the ones that killed the poor guy. They should fill like *****.
Posted by mr22587 at 09:08 AM

That would have been the human race....

[a_witness-2009]

Blame WalMart, Blame the door greeter, blame the doors, Blame everything and everyone except those IDIOTS IN NY WHO DID THE DEED. Personally, I do not know how they manage to live with themselves, unless they just don''t have a consience at all. What if it had been your small kids that got stomped to death while you were trying to hold on to them. BLAME THE IDIOTS THAT PUSHED THEIR WAY IN, it rest on their heads alone. If I were a judge, they all would be c harged with 2nd degree manslaughter. What IDIOTS and cowards.

[rob416]

It would be nice if some of these posts were not so ignorant. Then again there is no shortage of such people. What happend at that Wal Mart is a tradegy that didn''t need to occurr.

Every year on the shopping day after Thanksgiving the media shows video of crowds rushing into Wal Mart at various locations. It also has shown people being knocked down. The Police have determined Wal Mart did not provide adequate security in spite of what they say. Apparently the only thing a Corporate bigot like Wal Mart cares about is their profit.

Their reputation for not caring about employees proceeds itself. I don''t begrude a Corporation for wanting to make money, but they need to do so by doing all they can to insure the safety of their employees and customers.

[thecatsmeow5]

The sad thing is that probably most of the 2000 people were racing to get one of the 5 42" HD tvs on sale.

[kc629]

I think all towns should have a town square, including a whipping post. If a person was whipped down in front of his town. They may stop and think before doing something stupid again.


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Posted by mr22587 at 09:06 AM : Dec 02, 2008

what are you ressurected from 1857 or something do humanity a favor and just SHUT UP!