Posted on Fri, Nov. 28, 2003
`Blitz' sale floors woman
BY ALICIA A. CALDWELL
The Orlando Sentinel
ORANGE CITY, Fla. - (KRT) - When the siren rang at precisely 6 a.m. Friday to kick off the Wal-Mart Supercenter's five-hour "blitz" sale, Patricia VanLester was first in line to grab a $29 DVD player.
Her sister, 48-year-old Linda Ellzey, waited just four feet away with a shopping cart. But before VanLester, 41, could inch her way through the crowd with the prized Christmas gift for their mother she was knocked to the ground by a frenzy of shoppers.
"She got pushed down, and they walked over her like a herd of elephants," Ellzey said. "I told them: `Stop stepping on my sister! She's on the ground!'"
Before paramedics arrived, Ellzey said, VanLester did not recognize her and did not know where she was, nor did she remember what had happened after being flown to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach.
Ellzey did not know what her sister's condition was late Friday afternoon. She said doctors told the family that VanLester had a seizure after she was knocked down and would likely remain hospitalized at least overnight. VanLester has no history of seizures or other medical conditions, Ellzey said.
Hospital officials would not confirm whether VanLester was admitted.
VanLester and her sister got to the Wal-Mart at 3:30 a.m. in search of ink for a computer printer. They decided to stay when they realized the "blitz" would start in just 2 1/2 hours. They figured that way they were guaranteed an Apex DVD player that would go on sale for $29.87, Ellzey said from her sister's Orange City home.
Mark O'Keefe, a spokesman for EVAC Ambulance, said witnesses told paramedics that when VanLester was knocked to the ground she hit her head and started convulsing.
"A mob knocked her to the ground," O'Keefe said.
Valerie Calabrese, 42, of Deltona said Friday afternoon that when she saw VanLester got knocked down, she and her two children decided to get out of the store.
"They bombarded her," Calabrese said. A woman and her two children joked about taking the DVD player that VanLester was clutching, Calabrese said.
"There was a lady there and her two kids were laughing about it, joking about it, saying, `Mom's going to take it.'"
When Orange City and EVAC paramedics got to the store they found VanLester lying on her left side on top of the DVD player, surrounded by shoppers who were seemingly oblivious to the unconscious woman, O'Keefe said
Employees referred all questions to Wal-Mart's headquarters. Suzanne Haney, a spokeswoman in Arkansas, said two store managers cleared the crowd from around VanLester and called paramedics.
"The people were all around this woman," O'Keefe said. "They would not move as the ambulance crew arrived and tried to get to the woman. They were concerned about one thing, bargain shopping."
Orange City Fire Department Lt. Richard Beauregard said his paramedics also had to wade through the crowd to get to VanLester.
"They were more concerned about what they were doing than getting out of way of the paramedics," said Beauregard.
The Wal-Mart spokeswoman said she did not know why the company's version of events differed from pararmedics' accounts.
"From what I was told, the two managers cleared the crowd," Haney said.
Ellzey said some shoppers tried to help VanLester, forming a barrier around her, and one employee did help her get to her sister. Most people, though, just continued their rush for deals.
"People just walked over her like she wasn't there, like they didn't even care," Ellzey said.
Ellzey said Wal-Mart officials called Friday afternoon to ask about her sister. She said the store also apologized and offered to put the DVD player on hold.
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This is how it is here almost everyday in the more populated cities. There is no real sense of community anymore, because at the end of any given day, there just is nothing left for the fellow man. Things like Company Picnics, Employee Appreciation Day, or group discounts are a thing of the past. Even city sponsored events like RibFest, Taste of Pinellas, Clearwater Jazz Fest, St. Pete Blues Fest, World of Wheels, Boat Shows, etc, are no longer free to the public. Everything carries a price tag. I am just thankful that I still live in an area where I can walk along a beautiful waterfront and enjoy what is left of it on a daily basis. I must nod greetings to other walkers and joggers over 100 times before returning home. I have had women buy me drinks just on the strength of those small little gestures when they recognize me later on in the week at downtown events. I bought myself an early Christmas present in the form of a used Kayak and I took it out briefly Thanksgiving Morning thinking no-one would be at the boat ramp. It was a little claustrophobic at first cramming my legs into the shell and scootching off the ramp and into the Bayou. The sun had just come up, and was right in my eyes with a light mist coming off of the water. I was startled by a couple of women joggers rounding the bend at the other side of the ramp, and as I admired the way their butts moved, I did a power slide into the Mangroves and almost lost the paddle. I decided not to press my luck so I packed it into the hatchback and dropped it off at my friends house for later use. Without him, I would not have bought it in the first place, cuz I had no place to store it. As I drove home I reflected that what I have to be thankful for are my friends, and the fact that I am finally in control of my environment. I have managed to stay in the same place for so long that I have the upper hand over anyone else. I know where everything is, know all the shortcuts, know where to find parking downtown, best restaurants, stores, schools, facilities, etc. I guess the biggest thing is that I don't let unfortunate actions of others get to me the way I used to. I am not really sure how much the Wal-Mart story got around, but I hope people wind up learning from it. I hope everyone had a good ThanksGiving and y'all have an even better Christmas. God Bless you all............ :smile:
