The Tragic Truth About Black Friday Deaths

As the deals get bigger, so do the crowds and frenzy that surround Black Friday (via All That's Interesting). In 2008, the first recorded Black Friday death occurred on Long Island when a Walmart employee was trampled to death. Though several were injured when a 2,000 person crowd rushed through the door, The Guardian reports that only 34-year-old Jdimytai Damour died of asphyxiation. He had only been working at Walmart for a week before his death (per Insider). HuffPost states that in 2011, 61-year-old Walter Vance collapsed while shopping at a Target on Black Friday. Although Vance had a known heart condition, what makes his death tragic is the circumstances. Shoppers ignored his limp body and walked all over it. Vance later died at a hospital.

A San Antonio man, Isidro Zarate, was shot and killed at a Walmart on Black Friday when he defended a woman being assaulted (via News 4 San Antonio). Another tragic incident happened on a drive after a night of Black Friday shopping when the Tandel family got into their car and headed back to their Northern California home. According to the New York Daily News, the father, who was driving had only slept for three hours. He nodded off and crashed, killing his two daughters aged 20 and 24. 

The Black Friday frenzy will surely continue, as it's predicted that spending will be up from last year (per Black Friday). To stay safe while shopping, Fox 8 suggests that one should be aware of their surroundings and not fight over items.