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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Woman trampled at Wal-Mart a "frequent faller" |
| 2003-12-05 |
| A woman reported "trampled" last Friday by Wal-Mart shoppers desperate for $29.87 DVD players has a long history of claiming injuries from Wal-Marts and other businesses where she worked or shopped. Fancy that. Patricia Vanlester, 41, was knocked unconscious and, her sister said, "trampled by a herd of elephants" by a stampede of shoppers reaching for DVD players that went on sale at 6 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving, according to Orange City police and the sister, Linda Ellzey. The story was picked up by the Associated Press and carried in newspapers and other media as far away as Australia and China, an example -- some commentators have opined -- of American excess during the holiday shopping season. Then some people scratched their heads and said "Hey, she looks awfully familiar." An investigation by WKMG-Local 6 reveals Vanlester has filed 16 previous claims of injuries at Wal-Mart stores and other places she has shopped or worked, according to Wal-Mart, court files and state records. Her sister, who accompanied her Friday on the visit to Wal-Mart, has also filed a prior injury claim against Wal-Mart, with Vanlester as her witness, a company spokeswoman said yesterday. If they hadn’t gotten all the publicity, they might have pulled it off. Asked whether Vanlester’s frequent injury claims might cast doubt on the veracity of her latest allegation, her attorney, David L. Sweat, of Port Orange, said, "No comment." Snicker |
| Posted by:Steve & Dar |
| #11 I shop at Walmart and Sams club a lot. About every other time I see someone sprawled out on the floor. They video the sales floor so they can usually beat these 'frquent fallers' at their own game. I think that they should be charged and made to work for FREE as part of the restitution. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2003-12-5 8:02:01 PM |
| #10 Ya know... that's not even funny once. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-12-5 6:27:43 PM |
| #9 Was it a Who DVD? DVD player... oh.. nevermind. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-12-5 6:26:46 PM |
| #8 Was it a Who DVD? DVD player... oh.. nevermind. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-12-5 6:26:38 PM |
| #7 walmart is fairly aggressive about countersuing - I wouldn't expect a Merry Christmas at the families' house. Also, the police might consider charging them with... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-12-5 12:40:40 PM |
| #6 This lady had 16 prior frequent injury claims going back to the 80s. Screw her. Merry Christmas. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2003-12-5 11:07:59 AM |
| #5 Only if it came with the super-mega-duper chrome exuberator shaft. But, in that case, yeah - go for it. |
| Posted by: .com 2003-12-5 10:37:11 AM |
| #4 That said, I'd still trample over her and her mother for a $29.87 DVD player. |
| Posted by: BH 2003-12-5 10:23:05 AM |
| #3 The story was picked up by the Associated Press and carried in newspapers and other media as far away as Australia and China, an example -- some commentators have opined -- of American excess during the holiday shopping season. Excess, indeed... though it turns out it is, in fact, untrue. On the other hand, we have these rational acts which occured during the Hajj, every mooslim's sacred requirment: Security and safety have been major concerns at the hajj. In 1998, a stampede at the stoning ritual killed 180 people. A 1997 fire in Mina killed more than 340 pilgrims and injured 1,500, and a 1994 stampede killed 270 pilgrims. The most deadly hajj-related tragedy was a 1990 stampede in which 1,426 pilgrims were killed. USA Today |
| Posted by: .com 2003-12-5 9:35:41 AM |
| #2 Bwahahaha! |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-12-5 9:34:36 AM |
| #1 Dammit! The Army of Steves strikes again! |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-12-5 9:10:54 AM |