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Sydney shoppers injured in balloon drop crowd crush

JOHN STANLEY
Article image for Sydney shoppers injured in balloon drop crowd crush

Multiple shoppers have been injured overnight during a balloon drop at a shopping centre in Sydney’s west.

Five people had to be taken to hospital when they were crushed during the Christmas promotional stunt at Westfield Parramatta.

Up to 150 people gathered underneath the balloons at midnight to compete for Westfield gift cards, retailer discounts and prizes.

But the friendly competition quickly turned nasty, and many shoppers were pushed over and injured in the chaos.

A listener sent through the following video of the chaos

Paramedics say 12 people were treated at the scene, with five taken to hospital.

Most people suffered minor injuries but three had more serious chest, neck and back pain.

Chief Superintendent at NSW Ambulance Jordan Emery tells John Stanley the incident was typical of what sometimes happens at sporting events.

“We’ve seen these patterns before when crows are heightened, people can scramble over each other, people tend to trip and fall and there can be those crowd crush dynamics.

“That’s what we saw last night in a much more unexpected environment.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview

 

JOHN STANLEY
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