New Lawsuit Could Take Bite Out Of Crocs

(CBS/ AP)  The family of a child whose foot was maimed in an escalator accident at the Atlanta airport is suing Crocs Inc., saying the Colorado-based footwear company failed to put safety features in the soft-soled shoes.

It's the second federal lawsuit filed this summer involving a child wearing Crocs injured on escalators at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The lawsuit filed Aug. 26 by Clark Meyer, who is the father of a 4-year-old boy identified as "A.M.," seeks $2 million in damages.

Attorney Stephen McConnell said the boy was riding an escalator at the airport July 15 when the machinery mangled his Crocs and "severely and permanently damaged" his right foot.

Crocs spokeswoman Tia Mattson declined to comment.

At least three children have been injured in the past three months at the Atlanta airport, spurring officials to post signs warning of escalator dangers, reports CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano.

New York-based attorney Andrew Laskin, who is leading the case, also is handling the case of a 3-year-old girl from Louisville, Ky., injured when an escalator ripped skin from her foot and broke three toes in June.

Laskin is also suing Crocs over a child who was hurt at a Los Angeles mall. He has settled two other cases with the footwear company, but declined to comment on them.

"This is happening everywhere and Crocs is basically saying it's the fault of the escalators - or the parents are not watching their children," Laskin said. "But that would be the case only if it kept happening on the same escalator over and over again."

In April, Japanese and Filipino authorities asked the Niwot, Colo.-based company to consider changing the footwear's design because of similar escalator accidents in their countries.

The shoe company has promised to insert safety tags into its packaging by next year.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has documented 77 soft shoe entrapments on escalators since January 2006 and issued a warning in May.

In a 16-page letter to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in June, the company's engineering director Erik Olson said Crocs has knowledge of 186 accidents involving its shoes and has initiated "safety investigations."

But he added, "Crocs shoes neither present nor introduce a unique hazard pattern when worn by children or adults on escalators."

Mattson would not say how many times the company has been sued or settled lawsuits.

[jaebird2]

I have always loved crocs and owned several pair. However they are VERY slippery in wet conditions but advertise to be great around water. My husband is down with a back injury due to a fall wearing his new crocs. Several employees have slipped at our restaurant wearing crocs. My Father has had outbreaks of some kind on his feet after wearing crocs (allergic?) We don't know but it is very painful and the Dr. says it is like having 3rd degree burns. I think I am finished with crocs.

[franssusan]

This is an example of greedy parents getting rich off their child''s suffering. Disgusting!

[erdman_n]

There''s not too much more that needs to be said. I have a feeling of what happened was the child did not step off the escalator at the point where the grooves in the stairs feed into the teeth at the very top. Therefore, the shoes slid into the teeth, and got "chewed" up. I experienced a similar thing when I was a child. I didn''t step off at that point, and my shoes got stuck in those teeth, putting holes in the soles. I quickly learned that you''re not supposed to slide off the escalator, but step off it. Too bad as a 7 year old I didn''t realize I could''ve sued my shoe comapany for my curiousity.

[wardoglrs]

Americans are such ******* when it come to machinery
you wear the proper attire or even some people have lost there jobs for not paying attention to there attire. Now we want to put children on machinery and expect them to survive?. There your children and your the adult show some ******* responsibility. Personally i feel the parent should be arrested for abuse and neglect

[alyanfel29]

My opinion on the croc issue is that it is getting rediculous when people can sue for anything. Esculators can be dangerous and when u go to a airport and i know from past expierence they tell you to watch your step and be careful. the little boy could have as easy had a pair of nikes on a shoe lace got stuck and hurt him. does that mean you can sue nike. give me a break watch your children and make sure they are careful when on a esculator.

[missingamerica]

We will eventually get to the point where a 30 second commercial just says the product name and has 29 seconds of rapidly voiced disclaimer to fill the rest of the time.

Its not a matter of who is at fault, but who has the deepest pockets.

Posted by Mythoughts21 at 02:56 PM : Sep 11, 2008

Interesting, is it not, that so many commercials these days do in fact have huge disclaimers to the effect that use of this product has been shown to harm you in this, that, or another way?

Begs the question:

Is the problem the people who buy the products, or the people who sell the products?

I believe you only have to ask yourself who makes the most money from the transaction to know the answer to that question.

[kjost21]

"He has settled two other cases with the footwear company, but declined to comment on them."

What a croc of ***. This guy knows he can get money out of the company and is going to keep trying until they fight back. I am sure there are legitimate claims against the company over injuries, but those have to should be related to a failure of the shoe in some area and not to the stupidity of the populace. Ever notice that a Bic pen doesn''t have a warning on it about stabbing yourself in the eye?

Have we gotten to the point where we are looking so much for what we can get that we don''t just go buy a different pair of shoes if those ones are dangerous?

We will eventually get to the point where a 30 second commercial just says the product name and has 29 seconds of rapidly voiced disclaimer to fill the rest of the time.

Its not a matter of who is at fault, but who has the deepest pockets.

[kennergirl]

I didn''t read in the article if the Atlanta airport was being sued also. Since 3 children in the last few months were injured at the same place I find it hard to believe that the airport isn''t a part in the lawsuit and heck why not throw in the escalator company too. Lord knows they made this croc eating machine!

I don''t know if the parents of these children were watching them or not and yes, that would make a difference on how I feel about the lawsuit in the story. Unfortunately, the good have to pay for the bad and some people have no problems letting their kids run and climb on everything in sight. Of course, when something awful happens these same parents look for someone else to blame but themselves. Personally, both of my oldest children are hesitant to ride on escalators unless I''m with them at their side. They especially don''t like stepping off of it onto the landing.

Anything can be dangerous and a child doesn''t have the mental capacity to get themselves out of certain situations. That''s why kids have parents!

And Nancy, I don''t think all Americans are stupid. Lazy is more like it. This lawyer knows exactly what he''s doing or he wouldn''t have taken the case. Sue for more than you want and you will be guaranteed to get the dollar figure this family really wants and settle out of court. That''s usually the way things like this are done.

[missingamerica]

It is kind of a double-jeopardy situation.

Homeland Security, in their infinite wisdom, wants people to take their shoes off.

People in security lines at the airport get nasty if you hold up the lines - particularly those ones who are prone to use phrases like "some coon-dog huntin 4-year-old yokel from Georgia".

Crocs come off easy, and would seem to be the ideal solution if you have a couple of children.

Not, it appears.

[thevicar1]

So some coon-dog huntin 4-year-old yokel from Georgia forgets that in order to walk somewhere without getting hurt you have to PICK UP YOUR DURN FEET, and now a successful company has to get hauled into court???

Here ya go, my new SHOE warning label, it reads:

''JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE WEARING OUR SHOES DOESNT MEAN WE GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO BE A FLUGGIN KLUTZ!!!''