Walmart Needle Attacks Spark Concern, Victims Fear HIV (VIDEO)
A number of people have revealed they were pricked by hypodermic needles hidden in clothing at a Walmart store, which has now warned other locations to be on the lookout for such incidents.
One woman who shared her story with the news said that she was looking at a bra in a Walmart in Cartersville, Ga., on Black Friday when she was pricked by a hypodermic needle wedged inside.
Patricia Headrick panicked. She was gripped by fears of horror stories she had heard about people catching HIV and other diseases from strange needles.
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Headrick shared her ordeal with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Whose arm was this in? Whose body? Am I going to die," said Headrick, regarding a few of the questions that ran through her mind when the incident occurred.
She was not the only victim at that particular store.
A 14-year-old girl was trying on pajamas when she was also pricked, an incident Walmart was aware of but failed to issue a warning to other customers shopping there. The retail giant alerted other stores in the area to be aware of such a danger, but so far, little is known about the needles. Authorities are searching for clues about who might have put them there, if they had been used before, and if so with what kind of substances.
The customer who was pierced by the needles received medical attention, and tests are on going to make sure they did not catch any illness. Headrick said that she paid $1,300 for medicine that would stop any potential disease, but admitted that she is still “scared to death.”
Walmart has not paid for the treatment, but the AJC reported that a spokesperson for the retail giant has promised customers who have been harmed in the incident will reimbursed for valid medical expenses. At the same time, Walmart is hoping that its other stores in the area do not experience the same kind of trouble.
