Dan Bucatinsky: More Than I Can Chew
Mother files suit against Crocs
Filed under: Preschoolers, Health & Safety: Babies, 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.
| Sure; they are easy and comfortable. | |
|---|---|
| No way; Crocs are ugly and dangerous! |
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Around the Net: Escalator Fail
Kevin Pereira and Candace Bailey present the latest viral videos around the internet, including an escalator fail, the Skyrim serial killer and a double Corvette wreck.
-
Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation Multiplayer Trailer
Get a preview of the new multiplayer DLC pack called, Escalation, for Call of Duty: Black Ops.
-
2-Year Search For Missing Mom Suddenly Escalates
The near two-year search for a Utah mother is suddenly escalating on different fronts, with detectives scouring her husband's home while family members exchange sordid accusations of sex and deceit. (Aug. 26)
-
Giant Outdoor Escalator Constructed in Colombia Slum
Residents of the slums of Medellin, Colombia now have an escalator that cuts down travel time from 30 minutes to six.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 5 of 23)
7-08-2008 @ 7:12PM
terry said...Sue,
I reccomend that you move as fast as you possibally can to another lawyer. In that case you need a new lawyer fast cause he is telling you wrong. In fact me and my mother were waiting for taffic to turn last winter and some fool rear ended us and he got a load of tickets and we only thank goodness had to get the car bumper fixed. I say thank goodness cause I have a surgically implanted port. I have been hurt several times as a kid. I never sued nor did my parents. I can only remember 2 times my parents sued anyone and one time was when i was hit by a drunk driver and the other was when a younger brother was ran over by a drunk teenager in an SUV on a gravel driveway.
7-08-2008 @ 4:43PM
jackie said...gee here's an idea. watch your kids!
Reply
7-08-2008 @ 2:54PM
Jeremy said...What a Croc! of Crap. entitlement entitlement entitlement! She probably believes that Crocs is so rich they should be sharing their wealth so this was her way in. The fact that a judge would even allow such a case be before him is sick and the lawyers that take on these cases should go to jail and pay back all the court fees that rack up trying these ridiculous cases. Whatever happened to taking responsibility? As the mom she should have been watching her daughter get on and get off...proper supervision! Wait she probably didn't discipline the child because that might break her self esteem and scar her for life so she chose to let her run wild and make her own choices.
Reply
7-08-2008 @ 2:53PM
Janiece Logan said...Any adult who chooses not to watch their 3 year old child is just looking for trouble. I took care of my grandson for a number of years and nothing like that ever happened to him because I had my eyes on him constantly. A child can only do what they are taught. If the mother was to stupid to teach the child right from wrong, why should the CROCS company pay for that. She falls into the category of not being abler to fix stupid. I have a lot of compassion for the child and what she has hade to endure, but the mother needs to take a good hard look into her magic mirror and see that she is the reason the child got hurt, not the shoes. I hope she gets nothing in her lawsuit. I do however hope that the little girl is ok.
Reply
7-08-2008 @ 2:56PM
cathy rohrscheib said...we know that they have be considered unsafe fore some time now .if they choise to ware them then give them nothing .but no mom wants money .shes not that dumb or is she.if the kids were like i also saw they had shoes way to big on as well
Reply
7-08-2008 @ 2:55PM
stephanie said...You nasty, nasty people. How quickly you are to judge a parents ability to watch her child. Oh, and lets blame the 3 year old becuase she wasn't behaving and purposely got her shoe twisted in an escalator.
This is not the first time we are hearing about this!!!!
About 6 months ago, there was a thing on the news about how Crocs were getting caught on escalators by children AND adults!!! Crocs were supposed to change the design, but apparently they didn't. Then there was supposed to be a recall on all pairs, but apparently THAT didn't happen either. How can you sleep at night knowing full well that your faulty product could severly harm someone. On the other hand, as a parent, how can you put your kids in a shoe that clearly is dangerous? And then expect them to remember to "lift their foot up as they get off the escalator". I also don't get the appeal of the shoes. They are so ugly and they look rediculous on boys. Get your kids some old fashioned sandals with velcro closures or good ol' sneakers. Just get some SAFE shoes.
Reply
7-08-2008 @ 3:49PM
Rosa said...Stephanie.... You mentioned adults and kids as far as 6 months ago had mishaps on escalators. Also you said Croc's knew about these incidts and were supposed to change the design. How do you know these folks wee not wearing the old design. Perhaps the adults wore last yrs pair and the kids wore passed down from older sibling pair. As far as the parents go, you do not let a 3 yr old ride an escalator even holding their hand. What if they mis-stepped getting off and got hurt that way.
7-08-2008 @ 6:20PM
fatherof4 said...any product on the market today could cause injury if not used properly or if common sense is not used when using that product. First of all i have 4 childred under the ages 2,4,7,9 and they were crocs sometimes. I surley not letting my 2 and 4 y/o walk on an escalator, how about carrying your child or here is an idea, not use the escaltor but use the stairs!!!!!!. it is not the companies falut that people have no common sense. Do they need to put a warning on shoes "pay attention to where you step" or "use caution when wearing these shoes" thats insane. COMMON SENSE TELLS YOU THESE THINGS.
7-08-2008 @ 7:21PM
Terry said...I am wondering what the mother was doing and why should the mother not be held responsible for her child getting hurt???? I mean all escilators have warnings to supervise children!!!!! I am wondering why you are fast to blame the company that makes an article of clothing?????? Did the shoes hurt her when she put them on NO THEY DID NOT..... did she get hurt under her mother's care on a piece of moving equipment????? YES SHE DID................so who are we to blame????? the only person i feel we can blame and we can blame her 100% for the accident is the mother.....NOT THE SHOE MAKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7-09-2008 @ 12:08PM
colleen said...Although it is very sad that this little girl got hurt, I dont understand how Crocs can be held responsible. Cigarettes cause cancer and yet they are still being produced. Now these are manufactures that should be shut down. Here is real harm to our children.
There are so many products being used today...USE AT YOUR OWN RISK....c,mon mom, use some common sense. You chose to put them on your child, you are responsible. You chose to take the escalator, you are responsible. And if you were not holding on to her, or with her than shame on you also. It is a shame how quickly the word "sue" is used. ANYONE, in my opinion, who sues, is out for a quick buck. Human error people....we are all capable of it. Not one is perfect, we will all make mistakes...Even companies like Crocs
7-09-2008 @ 3:09PM
Stephanie said...I had several people reply to my comment regarding Crocs being held responsible for this little girl's injury. Here's the bottom line. The girl's shoe got caught in an escalator and she needed PINS put in her foot. She will probably need many surgeries, physical therapy and maybe even special shoes in order to help heal her foot. IT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF HER SHOES!!!!! If she were wearing sandals or sneakers, it would not have happened. It's the little holes in the front of the shoes that get caught.
Do you really think it's reasonable to hold a three year old on an escalator??? The shoe got caught because of the design, not because the child was misbehaving, or the parent was negligent. THE COMPANY KNOWS THIS WILL HAPPEN BECAUSE IT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST MANY TIMES. This is why the company should be held liable. They are selling a product that is clearly dangerous. No matter how much common sense you have, accidents still happen. When you bought your children Crocs, did you use your common sense and immedialtely say" OH THESE ARE SO CUTE AND COMFORTABLE, AND QUITE TRENDY BUT WE MUST MAKE SURE WE NEVER GO ON ESCALATORS WHEN WEARING THEM!!!" Yeah, I don't think so. And ask yourself this...if your 3 year old had to have pins put in her foot because an escalator mangled her foot BECAUSE OF HER SHOE, you are going to just let it go?????
7-08-2008 @ 3:41PM
hejesaka said...I know, why doesnt everyone sue every company for absolutely ANY thing.....oh wait......everyone is!!!!!!!! I have two words for the american public!!!! COMMON SENSE!!!! where did it go! Everyone blames everyone else for every problem.....
Reply
7-08-2008 @ 3:09PM
UPS91 said...I have Crocs and so does my 3 year old, but I am very careful where I wear them. I recently had an accident on the escalator here at work. My tennis shoe tread got stuck in the grooves. Now, I don't stand straight on the escalator. I turn my feet so they have less of a chance of getting stuck. I banged the crap out of my right shin and fell down, but would not have thought to sue my employer or claim workman's comp or to sue New Balance. It was an accident. Things happen.
Reply
7-08-2008 @ 3:06PM
girlslikesports2 said...Hay i love Croc's but if they cause that much damage i sure aint wearing them on escalotors. A few other things bad about them are
~your feet sweat more ew~
~they squeak like crazy~
~and i trip and stumble in them alot~
Good things about them
~they come with cool desighns for any occasion~
~they are easy to just slip on and go~
~they are easy to clean~
Anyway this is a 12 yr olds asumtion(what i think) there is bad things about them and good i only own one white pair, but still that poor baby's foot that is horrible the commpany should make them a little safer, if it was my kid i would have done the same.
Reply
7-09-2008 @ 8:09PM
Ritz said...Its a real tragic thing for that poor kid to get hurt but it doesn't warrant a law suit. I mean, COME ON!!!! Forty years ago, my Dad got his shoe caught in an escalator when he was seven. And did my grandpa sue anyone? Hell no, they even had to pay for my Dad to get new shoes. Geez people, this kid was obviously not being looked away properly, prehaps her mom was on her phone or struggling with some suitcases. So she got hurt, big frickin' Wow! It happens, teach your kid to be more careful, get over it!! You shouldn't sue just because she was wearing a cretain shoe. It would have happened wheater she was wearing converse or Crocs.
Reply
7-08-2008 @ 3:15PM
Nancy said...You know who should be sued more? Employers for treating their workers subhuman.
Reply
7-08-2008 @ 3:17PM
Julie said...It is not the shoe companies fault the little girl got hurt. It could have happened in flip flops (which are the most common worn foot attire in summer and traveling) or even sandals or from laces on tennis shoes. She should have been paying more attention and helping her daughter on the escalator. I have 5 children and we have ridden numerous elevators and I always help them and watch their step. Crocs are good and comfortable shoes for kids. They are safer and better for them than flip flops or open toed sandals.
Reply
7-08-2008 @ 3:26PM
Nancy said...I can understand sueing for medical expenses, since fewer and fewer Americans are receiving that benefit from employers and anything medical is completely unafforadable. But to sue for millions is just outright greed - from the victim and lawyer.
Reply
7-08-2008 @ 3:23PM
Marie said...Shouldn't they be suing the airport or the escalator company and not crocs? Do they stop people from wearing flip flops and sandals from riding escalators? People are too sue happy. Accidents happen - that's why they are called accidents! Duh!
Reply
7-08-2008 @ 3:22PM
Marie said...Shouldn't they be suing the airport or the escalator company and not crocs? Do they stop people from wearing flip flops and sandals from riding escalators? People are too sue happy. Accidents happen - that's why they are called accidents! Duh!
Reply