Woman Hurt When Shopping Cart Falls On Her Head From Top Of Flag Pole

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PASADENA - When Ralphs employee Shantie Muraj prepared to raise the flag outside her store early Saturday she was hit on the head by a grocery cart pranksters had hoisted to the top of the flagpole, police said.

Muraj, 62, of Los Angeles suffered a broken neck and an 18-inch laceration on her head when the cart dropped on her after she undid the cord, Lt. John Dewar of the Pasadena Police Department said. She was reported in serious but stable condition in intensive care at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena.

"We have no suspect information, other than someone did it as a prank," Dewar said Saturday. "Another employee found her knocked out and called the paramedics."

Police were told of the incident by the manager of the store at 320 W. Colorado Blvd. about 3 p.m. Saturday and an investigation is under way, Dewar said.

The store manager declined to comment or give her name, and the Ralphs corporate headquarters were closed Saturday.

Dewar said the woman could "easily have been killed" by the falling cart; full-size shopping carts weigh an average of about 50 pounds.

Dewar called the incident a serious offense, and said the charge would at least be assault with a deadly weapon.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/search/ci_4531596

:kick:

Just like those kids that throw rocks and bricks onto traffic from highway overpasses. So very funny. Nice job, pranksters.

Not funny that she got hurt, but the original prank itself. Flying a shopping cart from the top of a flagpole in front of a grocery store...there's a bit of social commentary there.

My bet is that the pranksters assumed the cart would be SEEN...it's kind of hard to miss a full sized shopping cart dangling from a flagpole. Either this employee came out when it was still dark, or the employee never bothered looking up. Either way, I tend to chalk it up to a prank that tragically went wrong. I doubt it was intended to be malicious.

Kids who throw rocks from overpasses are TRYING to hurt people. The pranksters who hoisted this cart were trying to be funny. Big difference.

You're right, it is a bit of social commentary, but they also should have been more socially conscious. The person that attached the cart to the halyard and hauled the 50 pounds up should have realised the potential for injuries and left a warning of some type.

I think the comment that she "never bothered to look up" is pretty unfair to her. I've raised and lowered them thousands of times over the years, and it's not something you're likely to do before starting. There's no reason to, and if the flagpole is right outside the store, then the top wouldn't be in your everyday field of view as you approach it.

Again, I don't think it was malicious, it's the sense of "it's her fault" that hit me.

Edit: typo

The woman is certainly innocent of fault here...I didn't intend for my post to sound that way. I simply meant that the pranksters made the assumption that she WOULD look up, and she didn't.

The fault for the injury certainly lies with the people who put the cart on top of the pole, because when someone pulls something like this they DO need to think out the possibilities and plan for them. I have no problem with this woman suing for her injuries, and I don't even have a problem with these guys spending some time in jail for creating a dangerous situation that could have killed someone. What I DO have an issue with is the suggestion that they should be treated like armed thugs with an assault with a deadly weapon charge (as the original article suggests will happen). Any prosecution needs to take into account that it was a prank, and wasn't intended maliciously.

and never dreamed that it was dangerous. I would have assumed that the store-person would have looked up, or noticed that the rope was tighter than usual. It is a funny idea (although I'll bet that any social commentary is purely accidental).

That, said, whoever did this has an obligation to own up to it - it may have been an accident, but they still need to accept the responsibility...

WAY too much time.....but hey, if someone got a broken neck or was nearly killed, well then hey.

that is horrible...

How in hell did they get it up there????

they don't pay enough.

I hope she's okay.

Totally a :wtf: moment! How the hell do you even get one up there?

thats a new one to me...never heard of a cart falling on someone's head, while hoisting a flag...life, it never ceases to amaze me.