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Updated: 7:03 PM Nov 28, 2011
UPDATE: Nurse Says She Tried to Help Shopper Who Collapsed on Black Friday
It happened at Target in South Charleston about 12:15 a.m. Friday.
Posted: 11:51 AM Nov 27, 2011Reporter: Andrew Colegrove, Brooks Jarosz, WSAZ News Staff Email Address: news@wsaz.com |
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458 Comments 
UPDATE 11/28/11 @ 8:30 a.m.
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Friends and family will come together Monday to honor the life of a local pharmacist who collapsed and died while shopping on Black Friday.
Services for Walter Vance are scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. at the Monahill Memorial Freewill Baptist Church in Logan County. His burial will follow.
Vance was found lying in the electronics department at the Target store, in South Charleston, off Corridor G.
A witness told WSAZ.com some shoppers didn't have any concern for Vance, but there were others who did try to step in and help.
Kimberly Rowland is a nurse and was shopping with her sister when she saw Vance and tried to help revive him.
Rowland says Target employees blocked off an aisle and called 911 while another held Vance's head.
The 61-year-old was rushed to the hospital, but later died.
Rowland says there were many people nearby, but no one she saw was ignoring Vance.
"I didn't see anyone walking by him, anyone that was heartless," Rowland said. "Maybe that happened right before I got to him, but when I got to him he was getting help. We were doing everything we could for him, ya know I would hate for that to be the last image or the last thoughts they had of him that no one would help."
Target did issue a statement Sunday saying "Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time."
ORIGINAL STORY
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A man collapsed while doing some Black Friday shopping in a crowded store, and people nearby continued to shop.
A witness told WSAZ.com some shoppers walked around and even over the man's body.
Family members tell WSAZ.com that Walter Vance, of Logan County, W.Va., passed away after being taken to the hospital.
It happened at Target in the Southridge Shopping Center in South Charleston about 12:15 a.m. Friday.
Vance got sick and collapsed on the floor while shopping for Christmas decorations for his newly remodeled workplace.
Vance started working at the Aracoma Drug Company store in Logan when he was 16. He liked it so much, he went to pharmacy school at WVU and has worked there ever since.
He started a new Aracoma Drug Company Store, in Chapmanville, and had co-owned it since the 70's.
Vance was 61-years-old. Friends say he's has had heart problems for years and had open heart surgery in 2000, but his death came as a shock, and what happened in the final moments of his life only adds to the heartbreak.
"Where is the good Samaritan side of people?” Vance’s co-worker and friend Sue Compton said. “How could you not notice someone was in trouble? I just don't understand if people didn't help what their reason was, other than greed because of a sale."
One of the late night shoppers tells WSAZ.com what really disturbs her about the situation was the lack of concern by the rest of the shoppers.
An E.R. nurse happened to be one of the late night shoppers and tried to administer CPR. She and an off-duty paramedic who was also shopping did try to help Vance while he was on the floor.
An ambulance was called to the store. Vance was taken to the hospital, but later died.
WSAZ.com called Target Friday. So far, they haven't released a statement about what happened.
Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the latest information.
Latest Comments
Meme, "mouth-to-mouth" isn't a recommended AHA practice anymore. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23884566/ns/health-heart_health/t/no-mouth-to-mouth-required-new-cpr-rules
Tab, were you the one doing chest compressions when I came up to help? I'm the RN who was on the other side of him. The man beside me told me he was a respiratory therapist. I just don't understand how people who weren't there can criticize what was done. We did all we could and in my opinion, he was quite lucky to have a paramedic, nurse, and respiratory therapist there by his side to help. It's unfortunate that he did not survive, but we did do everything we could without an AED. I wish Target would release the surveillance video if there is one showing what happened.
Black Friday had nothing to do with why this man died. The fact that it was black Friday was merely a coincidence and made for a better story for the media. Here's a few statistics from the American Heart Association's website, www.heart.org : "Less than one-third of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR." "Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival." So the fact that there was a paramedic, respiratory therapist, and a critical care registered nurse at this man's side probably only occurred because it was black Friday. Maybe if it had been any other day, we would not have been there and he would not have gotten CPR at all...
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