A lawsuit filed by the family of a Wal-Mart worker trampled to death by after-Thanksgiving shoppers contends advertising touting deep discounts led to “crowd craze.”
The suit claims the retailer was negligent when it engaged in marketing to attract a large crowd, creating "an environment of frenzy and mayhem,'' the Associated Press reports.
The suit filed in New York state court in the Bronx also names the realty company that manages the Long Island property and the company hired to provide security. The worker, Jdimytai Damour, died from asphyxiation after a crowd broke down the doors and crushed him.
The lawyer representing Damour’s family is Jordan Hecht of Hecht, Kleeger, Pintel and Damashek of New York City, Fox News reports. Hecht told the network that Wal-Mart should have been prepared for the crowds when it offered sale items such as a Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV for $798.
"There’s hundreds of other retailers that have done these types of promotions," Hecht told Fox. "Remember when the iPhone first came out? How many hundreds of people were in line there? You got a card, stood in line, single file, no problem. There are many different things available to Wal-Mart, none of which were used."