Wal-Mart Employee Killed in Shopper Stampede

A temporary Wal-Mart worker died after a throng of unruly shoppers broke down the doors and trampled him moments after the Long Island store opened early Friday for day-after-Thanksgiving bargain hunting, police said.

Wal-Mart in Bentonville, Ark., called the incident a "tragic situation" and said the employee came from a temporary agency and was doing maintenance work at the store.

"The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," said Wal-Mart representative Dan Fogleman. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this difficult time. At this point, facts are still being assembled and we are working closely with the Nassau County police as they investigate what occurred."

The 34-year-old employee was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 6 a.m., Nassau County police said.

The exact cause of death had not been determined, and the man's name was not released.

A 28-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant was taken to a hospital for observation, where she and the baby were both reported to be OK, said Sgt. Anthony Repalone, a Nassau County police spokesman.

He said four or five other people suffered minor injuries.

Police said the crowd of shoppers knocked the man to the ground at 5:03 am, three minutes after the store opened at the suburban location about 20 miles east of Manhattan.

It wasn't immediately clear how many people pushed their way in. A metal portion of the door was crumpled like an accordion.

The industry's largest retail group said the incident was rare.

"We are not aware of any other circumstances where a retail employee has died working on the day after Thanksgiving," said Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman at National Retail Federation.

Shoppers around the country line up early outside stores on the day after Thanksgiving in the annual bargain-hunting ritual known as Black Friday.

(Wal-Mart says a worker with the retailer's temp agency was killed today. Watch the accompanying video for more...)

It got that name because it has historically been the day when stores broke into profitability for the full year.

Many stores open early and stay open late. The Valley Stream Wal-Mart usually opens at 9 am.

Items on sale at the Wal-Mart store included a $798 Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV, a Bissel Compact Upright Vaccum for $28, a Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera for $69 and DVDs such as "The Incredible Hulk" for $9.

Nassau County police were at the scene investigating.

In the meantime, in Seacaucus, New Jersey, an ambulance came to take away one Wal-Mart shopper who hurt her leg rushing into the store.

—AP contributed to this story.

Copyright 2008 Reuters. Click for restrictions.