Mother files suit against Crocs
Categories: Preschoolers, Safety, In The News
The mother of the three-year-old girl whose foot became entangled in an escalator at an Atlanta airport has filed a lawsuit against the maker of the popular plastic shoes for millions of dollars.
Alison Pregliasco and her daughter were on their way to a trip to Disney World when the little girl's Croc became entangled in an airport escalator. According to the report, it took 15 minutes to remove the child's right foot from the escalator. She had three broken toes and had to have surgery that involved doctors putting pins in her foot and cleaning bones to remove skin contaminated with escalator grease.
The mother of the injured girl says the Croc company knew their product could cause harm and did nothing to warn people. What might strengthen her case is that this isn't the first time Crocs has been aware of the danger their shoe could be on escalators: the company is in the midst of another lawsuit by the family of another three-year-old who was involved in an escalator entrapment at JFK Airport in New York, and this past May Consumer Reports issued a warning about wearing the rubber shoes on escalators.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that in 2007 they have been made aware of 11,000 escalator related accidents and of 77 foot entrapments since January 2006. Half of the entrapments resulted in injury. Here are some steps the CPSC recommends to prevent escalator injuries from happening:
- Make sure shoes are tied before getting on an escalator.
- Stand in the center of the step and be sure to step off of the escalator at the end of your ride.
- Always hold children's hands on escalators and do not permit children to sit or play on the steps.
- Do not bring children onto escalators in strollers, walkers, or carts.
- Always face forward and hold the handrail.
- Avoid the sides of steps where entrapment can occur.
- Learn where the emergency shutoff buttons are in case you need to stop the escalator.
It looks like it might be a good idea to just leave the Crocs at home and have the kids wear shoes and sandals when traveling or when going to a building with escalators. It might be a pain to keep everyone tied and buckled, but returning with toes intact would make the inconvenience worth it.
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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 23)
Dee 7-09-2008 @ 1:49PM
I'm the mother of four children and a grandma of 3. I believe it is the parents responsiblity to hold a 3 year old on an escalator.. I recently returned from vacation with my grandchildren. We flew out of JFK. We took the elevator. Injuries from sneakers, shoes on escalators are not uncommon. We need to take some responsiblity ourselvesd!!!! I do not think they should win this lawsuit!
the goddess anna 7-07-2008 @ 10:52AM
My kids live in their Crocs, to the point that the twins even wear them to bed. It's not hard to learn to avoid escalators, or to avoid wearing the shoes in other situations that might warrant that. I personally hate escalators, and at 3 and 5, it's easier and safer to take the kids on the stairs (or the elevator, if we're using strollers).
Maybe her kid should sue the mom for failure to use common sense in public.
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Vickie 7-07-2008 @ 7:40PM
I like that. The kid should sue her mom. It is common sense to put a child that age in a stroller or hold them on an escalator. I don't like how people are sue happy because they have no common sense. Like the lady that sue mcdonalds because she wasnt aware that the coffee was hot or the lady that sued Poptarts because she the poptart in the toaster oven while she took her children to school and her house caught on fire. Wake Up People and use some common sense
mary 7-08-2008 @ 3:44PM
I agree with that completely, why are we blaming the shoes instead of the irresponsible mother that obviously wasn't watching her child? It is not the shoes fault, it is that parents fault. I always watch my children when on the escalator if she would have been there would have been no problem.
Adri DiFilippo 7-08-2008 @ 8:22PM
Parents need to use some common sense! I'm a teacher and I can't believe the kids that come to school in Crocs and play kickball and football on the playground. These shoes were originally meant for garden work, for Pete's sake!
The kids fall down and the parents want to know why the teachers weren't supervising!
Keeps small children off escalators - period.
whitney 7-08-2008 @ 5:12PM
I agree one hundred percent. Parents aren't paying attention to their children and allowing them to misbehave, and don't care until their kid gets hurt. My mother always taught me to stay at the center of the step, and I wasn't allowed to sit on the stair either. Parents need to take responsiblity for their bad parenting instead of costing us taxpayers who have common sense. I hope her suit gets thrown out of court.
Esther 7-09-2008 @ 8:03AM
I agree. Mothers should pay attention to their kids or else, they should only be left home with a sitter if, she is not sure that she can really keep an eye on them. The Child Welfare Services must also see the mother's negligence here.
Tracy 7-09-2008 @ 11:12AM
I like that! The kid suing the mother for lack of common sense! That is truly the case here. It was an unfortunate accident. It was not any shoe manufacturer's fault. I would blame the escalator before the shoe, but the escalator has warning notices posted on it. But even so, COMMON SENSE. That is truly something this world seems to be missing these days.
113kathy 7-09-2008 @ 12:55PM
What has happened to common sense and taking responsibility for your own actions? Crocs are NOT the problem. The problem is with the parent allowing a fashion trend to override what should be common shoe sense. Next time the mother should put the child in a pair of sneakers (laces tied); stand in the center of the escalator; hold the child's hand, and get a second job for extra money instead of trying to cash in on yet another ridiculous lawsuit.
I am sorry the child was hurt because of her mother's carelessness/stupidity, but hopefully, mom will be more attentive and responsible in the future.
Jennifer 7-09-2008 @ 1:25PM
Why does it seem like common sense that rubber soled shoes get caught on an escalator. I am a mother. Never had a problem with an escalator, Never would have thought that the rubber sole would get stuck on the side of the escalator...at the end possibly which is why you clearly step over at the end like the directions say. I can imagine the lady by herself in the airport, where things are hectic, but who said that she wasn't watching her child. She just didn't know. Common sense would say tie your shoes, common sense would say step over at the end, but common sense would not say hard plastic can somehow get sucked into the side of the escalator. I am glad that I hate crocs anyway, but geez give mom a break.
UpAndDown 7-07-2008 @ 11:03AM
Interesting... Coincidentally, my kids and I spent quite a bit of time on escalators in Vegas this past weekend - in our Crocs none-the-less - surprisingly enough our feet did not get stuck. Thanks for posting the tips, not sure how these accidents happen but I have worn my Crocs on escalators many times and have never had any issues. But, it is always nice to be cautious.
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Adolgas287 7-09-2008 @ 8:21AM
Finally someone recognized this for what it is: an accident. Blaming anyone (the company or the mother) doesn't resolve anything, does it? No matter how careful people are, accidents do happen.
aprilkelm 7-07-2008 @ 1:27PM
Both the incidents were in airports....maybe they should sue the airport.
My friends daughter got her foot sucked in the escalator like that too. She was wearing Sketchers. They didn't sue sketchers or the mall. It was quite a scene, but no one was sued. The girl learned to pick up her feet when getting off the escalator.
Too many lawsuits = big fat waste of money
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Juliebean 7-08-2008 @ 5:41PM
They were both at airports - that's an interesting point. Maybe the moms were in a bigger hurry than usual? Goodness knows that airports can do that to people. And it seems to me that the escalators at an airport might be more industrial - might even have a thicker "tread" (I don't know what else to call it) and bigger gaps than at a mall?
carol 7-08-2008 @ 6:02PM
I agree people are sue hungry!! My thing is the mother said she knew that the company knew that the shoes could cause harm, So if you know that the shoes could cause harm WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU PUT THEM ON A THREE YEAR OLD!!!??? WHATEVER HAPPENED TO COMMON SENSE? Parents need to be aware of what the put on there kids......they think convienance over safety.
A 7-07-2008 @ 1:11PM
That mom should stick her kid in safety boots because the same thing can happen with almost any kind of "slip-on" foot wear. Sandles and flip-flops come to mind.
Moral of the story? What where you're going and what you're doing.
Cheerio!
A
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Ashley 7-07-2008 @ 2:00PM
This isn't an issue of picking up your feet. From what I understand, the crocs get caught because the groove in the sole is the same width approximately as on the escalator so if you step at the exact right angle the shoes lock in and are difficult to pull back up especially for a three-year-old!
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brenda 7-08-2008 @ 3:27PM
i agree if the company knew about the accidents happening on the escelators than i think they should have done a recall
kelly 7-08-2008 @ 4:07PM
Every escalator I have ever seen has vertical grooves on the steps, every pair of crocs I have owned have horizontal tread. How can that lock together??????
jo 7-09-2008 @ 7:46AM
ASHLEY:
give me a break, what was the mother doing?
should have been watching her kid.Sorry for the child but these parents need to learn how to watch and disciple their kids.
i work in public and some of these kids and mostly mothers need to be in LOCK-UP.
ps i am a mother and grandmother and we wear cros, have 6 pairs myself. stop being a drain on society and get some brains for Gods sake.
Hope this judge isn't a joke like all the rest......