The parents of a 4-year-old boy are suing Crocs Inc. for product liability involving injuries to a minor. The boy almost lost his toe during an escalator accident at the Miami International Airport last month. The $6 million Florida personal injury lawsuit accuses the rubber clog maker of failing to warn that a person wearing Crocs risks injury in the event that the clogs were to ever get caught in a moving staircase conveyor.
About the Case
The boy, age 4, now has to use a wheelchair while he recovers from his injuries. According to Marisela and Sanjay Prakash’s personal injury attorney, the 4-year-old’s toe was crushed to the bone. The couple’s products liability lawsuit contends that the clog maker has known about hundreds of incidents involving kids who have been hurt after their Crocs got stuck in escalators yet the company still has not added warning labels to the shoes.
Are Crocs Dangerous?
While Crocs has published a news release announcing that warning labels will be included with the popular shoe products beginning Spring 2009, no start date is listed.
Other personal injury lawsuits against Crocs involving injuries to young children have included:
- A father filed a $2 million against Crocs for personal injury last year after his 4-year-old son’s foot was maimed while riding an escalator at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia.
- A dad in New York sued Crocs for $7 million after his 3-year-old daughter sustained permanent and severe injuries when her clog got stuck in a La Guardia Airport escalator.
While Crocs are marketed as all-purpose footwear, Kathleen Huddy of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute says the shoes are best worn by the pool or at the beach. She said Crocs shouldn’t be used at the mall, in amusement parks, or on an escalator. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says it has received numerous reports from consumers complaining of the footwear getting caught in escalators.
Product manufacturers must warn of any hazards associated with the use or wear of their items. When failure to warn of a hazard or to fix it causes personal injury or wrongful death, the product maker can be held liable.
