New York injury cloud looms dark over shoppers on Black Friday

New York shoppers remember Black Friday for more than just great deals and huge discounts on clothes, electronics, toys and jewelry. Shoppers remember a Long Island stampede that injured several patrons and employees and left one employee dead and caused a pregnant woman’s miscarriage. The Wal-Mart stampede was not the only serious injury or fatality in Black Friday’s history. The day is known as one of the best savings days, but in terms of premises liability, one of the most dangerous shopping days.

The number of people out for door buster deals can be extremely dangerous and stores have been accused of not taking adequate precautions to prevent deadly stampedes. The 2008 Wal-Mart stampede occurred when 2,000 people tried to force themselves through the door. The only thing that the store operators did was organize a human chain they hoped would slow thousands of people pressing against the few employees.

Some experts suggest that stores do something to discourage instantaneous stampeded that occur when doors are first opened. Some stores have opted to keep the retail locations open through the night so that there is no one specifically awaited start time. Some allow customers to gather in a line at the department where there desired item is located.

While the store may not be able to predict individual actions of some customers, they can control causing unnecessary riots like the one caused in California. One store chose to create a promotion involving gift certificates that “rained down” from the ceiling onto the customers below. One elderly woman was sent to the hospital with serious injury as customers jumped up and down on top of her trying to collect the certificates. Take caution on Black Friday as you shop for the best deals of the season.

Source: Ranker, “13 Most Brutal Black Friday Injuries/Deaths” Nov. 2011