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After last year's tragedy, Walmart prepares for traffic on Black Friday

November 10, 2009

With Black Friday on the horizon, Walmart is taking steps to make sure last year's tragic trampling death doesn't happen again.

On Nov. 28, 2008, temporary worker Jdimytai Damour was killed by a sudden influx of shoppers making their way into a Walmart in Valley Stream, N.Y. As part of a deal to avoid prosecution, the retailer agreed to institute a crowd control plan during Black Friday events.

Bloomberg has some emerging details about what that plan will entail:

"Wal-Mart (Walmart), the world's largest retailer, consulted with sports and entertainment safety specialists to handle shoppers waiting to enter its stores," David Tovar, a company spokesman, said yesterday. The plans, specific to each store, also help direct the flow of shoppers when they are in the stores, check out, and leave.