Black Friday Injuries and Deaths

We call it “Black Friday” because it’s traditionally the day when retailers move their accounting ledgers from red ink (deficits) to black ink (profits).

Increasingly, though, America’s biggest shopping day is becoming “Black-and-Blue Friday,” as scores of innocent consumers find themselves seriously injured while out and about. Some have even died.

The Internet is catching on to the disturbing trend. BlackFridayDeathCount.com is as macabre as it is blunt, but the website, which tracks the number of injuries and deaths reported since 2006, has gained a lot of attention over the last few years.

In advance of Black Friday 2015, the count stands at 7 deaths and 98 injuries. Readers can access each injury report for additional details and related news coverage.

Among the more stirring incidents:

• In 2008, two men shot and killed each other in a California Toys ‘R’ Us after the women accompanying them got into an altercation.

•Also in 2008, a Walmart crowd stampeded across the bodies of five fallen shoppers, killing one man and injuring a pregnant woman.

•Just last year, another Walmart crowd trampled an 11-year-old girl, sending her to the hospital.

•In 2011, Target shoppers ignored 61-year-old Walter Vance after he collapsed while shopping. They left him to die.

The Most Common Black Friday Injuries

Black Friday is as much a cultural event as it is a savings bonanza, but while the day can offer festive family fun, it’s important to keep your wits about you. The list of injuries below might seem outlandish, but they represent sincere threats to your safety during the holiday shopping season.

The most common Black Friday injuries include:

•Auto accidents in parking lots

•Auto accidents caused by sleep-deprived drivers on the interstates and highways

• Drunk driving accidents

•Crowd-related injuries (trampling, pushing, etc.)

•Shopping cart injuries

•Boxes falling from retail shelves

•Slip and fall accidents on slippery sales floors

•Slippery parking lots and sidewalks due to ice, snow, and inclement weather

•Injuries to pregnant women or small children due to heavy crowds

•Robberies

•Violence (fights, physical assaults, the use of weapons, etc.)

A Safe Shopper Is a Smart Shopper

If you choose to enter the fray this Black Friday, please do so carefully. Remember to keep calm and exercise abundant caution. Avoid altercations, drive safely, and stay out of stores that seem excessively crowded. A little common sense can go a long way.

Our firm would like to wish you a happy Thanksgiving Weekend, a fruitful Black Friday, and a safe holiday season. Be careful out there — and have some fun!