Crocs have become a very popular slip-on footwear for children and adults alike. These clog-type shoes are easy to get on and off, they are made of an extremely comfortable material, and they are becoming more and more fashionable- with a wide variety of colors and styles available.

As Crocs’ popularity grow, unfortunately so do the escalator injuries and lawsuits. Just last month, Alison Cox Pregliasco, from Kentucky, filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the maker of Crocs after her three-year-old daughter’s right foot was severely injured from her shoe becoming entangled in an escalator. The incident occurred on June 4^th at Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, while Alison and her daughter, Lexi, were on their way to Disney World. When one of her Crocs got caught in the gears, it was shredded along with little Lexi’s foot. It reportedly took 15 minutes to free her foot from the escalator. “Three broken toes, two pretty severely broken, the other is just a hairline fracture,” her mother said. One toe was severed down to the bone and skin had to be removed which was contaminated with escalator grease. During surgery, Lexi had pins put in her foot.

According to Alison, Crocs, Inc. (located in Niwot, Colorado) is responsible for her daughter’s injuries and they should have warned buyers about the repeated past accidents involving Crocs and escalators. Alison’s attorney also represents several other families who have children injured while wearing Crocs.

Countless Crocs incidents have been reported within the past few years. In May, another three-year-old was injured on an escalator at JFK Airport in New York. This family is also in the midst of a lawsuit with the Crocs manufacturer. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that in 2007 alone, 11,000 escalator-related accidents have been brought to their attention, along with 77 foot entrapments since January 2006. Nearly half of those entrapments resulted in injuries. In May, they issued a warning against wearing soft, rubber shoes, such as Crocs, on escalators. In addition to that, Japan has even requested Crocs’ design be changed after receiving so many escalator injury complaints related to the shoes and young children.

While riding on escalators with children, please use common sense by always holding your child’s hand and make sure shoes are securely tied before getting on. The center of the escalator is the safest area to ride. Leave Crocs at home because they’re not safe to wear while traveling or shopping. Crocs are for the backyard, or to wear on the beach or at the river.

As a mom of Crocs-wearing children, I personally don’t plan to stop them from wearing their favorite comfy shoes. That said, my children won’t be wearing Crocs (or any other soft, rubbery shoes) on escalators now that I‘m aware just how dangerous it can be! Although if we were faced with the choice of stairs, elevator or escalator, I would most likely choose either the stairs or elevator no matter what shoes we were wearing because of my escalator fear.

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