By BIANCA ROMANO

Aug 28, 2008 2:14 AM | Link to this

ON SUNDAY AUG 25, 2008 VISITING LOS ANGELES WITH MY TWO TEEN CHILDREN, I,49 YEARS OF AGE WAS RIDING AN ESCALATOR IN A SHOPPING MALL WHEN REACHING THE TOP OF THE ESCALATOR I FELT AN UNCONTROLLABLE SUCKING FEELING UNDER THE TOP OF A CROCS SANDALS, THE ONLY THING A COULD THINK OF WERE ALL THE REPORTS I REMEMBERED READING ABOUT CROCS ON ESCALATORS ,AND MY REACTION WAS TO IMMEDIATELY TO SAVE MY LEG NOT THE CROC. I YANKED AS HARD AS I COULD TO RELEASE MY FOOT FROM THE CROC(THE BACK STRAP ON MY CROC WAS AROUND THE ANKLE) I PULLED SO HARD I BRUISED MY OTHER TOE WHICH LEFT A BLACK GASH ON MY OTHER CROC BUT I ESCAPED WITH ALL 10 TOES, I AM STILL SHAKIN FROM THIS INCIDENT BOTH LEGS AND MY BACK ARE STILL VERY SORE, MY TOE WAS BRUISED AND MUSCLES WERE PULLED. MY SON 14, ENDED UP PULLING 2/3 OF THE CROC FROM THE TOP OF THE ESCALATOR BUT THE OTHER HALF REMAINING INSIDE THE ESCALATOR. IF I WAS NOT PRE-WARNED ABOUT CROCS ,I WOULD HAVE ACTED DIFFERENTLY AND PROBABLY WOULD HAVE LOST MY TOES BUT I REACTED IN A LIGHTING SECOND...PLEASE ALL WHO ARE READING THIS.. CROCS ON ESCALATORS ARE VERY DANGEROUS; I WAS NOT FOOLING ROUND OR DOING ANYTHING OUT OF THE NORM, JUST RIDING AN ESCALATOR. IT WAS A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE BUT THANK GOD I CAME OUT WITH A FEW STRAINS AND BRUISED BUT THE CROCS WERE MANGLED. BE CAREFUL.. CROCS CAN EFFECTS ADULTS TOO.

By Carladenise Edwards

Jul 30, 2008 10:42 AM | Link to this

My 4 year old son was injured yesterday at Hartsfield airport. I was not upset with crocs, but with the airport. Not one person attempted to help us or attend to my son's injury. My husband had to go to the newsstand to buy bandaids while I used baby wipes to try to apply pressure and stop bleeding. My docotr just informed me that this had happaned to other kids, so I googled and found this story. Yes. Crocs and escaltors do not mix!!!! His show was basically burned and riped off his foot.

By Dings

Jul 15, 2008 10:52 PM | Link to this

Is there any instance of this kind of accident happening with shoes other than Crocs? probably yes. Would be plenty of them, just need to do reseach. All of them don't sue the shoe maker. It's a fashion to sue Croc because they are new!!
I have a kid.. Whenever I take him to escalater, I hold his hand and make him stand near the middle OR as far away from the sides as possible, again near the end of the ride, I take him up to the ground..call it common sense or care not crocs.

By patrick

Jul 13, 2008 8:38 PM | Link to this

I have spent 47 years in the elevator business and 12 years as a member of the A17.1 Escalator Code Committee. People have to realize that the cause of the Crocs entrapments are the material the shoe is made of. When a child rides an escalator they often hold the moving handrail which places their feet in close proximity to the side wall or skirt panel of the escalator. The skirt panel is most often covered in a skin of stainless steel. When the Crocs material comes in contact with the stainless steel it vulcanizes and the heat caused results in the shoe bonding to the steel. The foot then articulates 90 degrees and the toe end is sucked into the space between the moving step and the skirt panel. The sucking action is so quick no action by a parent or other adult can prevent the shoe from being ingested. I have personally conducted an experiment on one escalator involved in the Crocs lawsuit and the shoe vulcanized within seconds. I also confirmed that the escalator was well maintained and that side of step clearances were less that the Code mandated standards. Folks, if you have children or grandchildren please do not allow them to wear them on escalators. I cannot comment on Crocs liability since as an expert I may be called to testify at some point should this litigation proceed to trial.

By Victim's Gram

Jul 11, 2008 11:40 AM | Link to this

I am the victim's "Gram" who was in Florida waiting for the travelers to arrive. Several corrections are in order.
1. The parents are both REAL ESTATE attorneys
and not involved in personal injury law. (They,
like most Kentuckians, are also not redneck.)
They are loving and responsible parents and the
children are extremely well-behaved.
2 The injury did not happen anywhere near the start
or end of the escalator but rather somewhere in
the middle. The child's shoe and foot were
"sucked" into the space between the side of the
escalator and the step and it all happened in just
a split second - there was no time to react.
3. My concern is that while some of you knew of
Croc's danger, many others do not. Young
parents don't have time to research every
purchase. The company has a responsibility to
place a warning on a label attached to the shoes
(there is no box) or better yet ON the shoes, given
the likelihood of resale in yard sales or thrift
stores. I truly hope no more children will suffer
like my granddaughter has once this has been
done.
4. I agree warnings on escalators would also be a
good thing but right now my concern is with this
very popular and very dangerous shoe.

By Kaye Miller, RN, CN-III, CAPA, CLNC

Jul 9, 2008 7:20 PM | Link to this

Parents are notorious for getting their children's shoes a little big so the child "can get some wear out of them". I hope the attorneys take this into consideration. Children can grow very fast. It should be noted what the shoe size should have been at the time of the mishap as compared to the actual CROC size.

legalanchor.com

By Amy

Jul 9, 2008 3:02 PM | Link to this

I hate Crocs. I think they're ugly and I would never buy them for either of my girls. And while I feel bad for the families who have had to deal with injuries from these shoes, I think it's ridiculous that they are suing the company for millions of dollars. I could see wanting them to pay the hospital bills and maybe getting a little something extra out of it, but millions?! Give me a break...

By ernestmiles

Jul 8, 2008 8:22 PM | Link to this

The CROC problem s very different from a loose shoelace. A loose shoelace would get stuck but it would not result in a sneaker being ripped apart. A CROC is strapped around the foot, so its not like a flip flop. It is designed to have super traction and not slip, yet it is soft and bendable. Therefore, when that super traction CROCS material makes contact with the side of the escalator, the friction grabs the CROC and sucks it down into the side of the escalator. The child cant pull out from the shoe as it rips open taking the toes with it. IT IS NOT THE CHILDS FAULT AND ITS NOT THE PARENTS FAULT--TRY TELLNG A PARENT NOT TO LET A 3yo HOLD ONTO THE RAILING AS THEY GO DOWN AN ESCALATOR--The point is CROCS has known this happened for years and ALL THEY NEED TO DO is put a simple warning on the shoe so parents know it is not an all purpose shoe---try telling that to kids who eat and sleep in their CROCS---CROCS wont say it because it would hurt sales--now is all this so hard for some of you to grasp???

By katherine

Jul 8, 2008 2:17 AM | Link to this

i don't really understand how these crocs are dangerous ..it seems like anything else like an untied shoelace would lead to that problem with the escalator. anyway, im just asking for clarifcation about what exactly is wrong with crocs? (but i personally think those shoes are ugly!)

By Resi

Jul 8, 2008 2:15 AM | Link to this

i don't really understand how these crocs are dangerous ..it seems like anything else like an untied shoelace would lead to that problem with the escalator. anyway, im just asking for clarifcation about what exactly is wrong with crocs? (but i personally think those shoes are ugly!)