The Croc Bites (a products liability lawsuit follows)

On February 4, 2008 the parents of a three-year-old girl sued Crocs, Inc. in federal court in Brooklyn, alleging that the shoes were defective. The child, Emma Hochberg, allegedly had a toe mangled in an escalator when one of her Crocs became stuck. As you may know, Crocs are those big, colorful, rubbery, clog-type shoes that have gotten popular in recent years.

Similar accidents have been reported in Virginia and Atlanta’s airport, as well as in Japan and Singapore. The flexibility of the Croc, combined with a child’s small foot size and the fact that kids just don’t stand still on escalators and rarely watch where they put their feet mean that a moment of distraction can lead to tragedy.

The Crocs can get caught in the "teeth" at the bottom or top of the escalator, or in the crack between the step and the side of the escalator.

Crocs, Inc. does not feel that its shoes pose a health hazard.

Commentary: Many of these accidents can be attributed to parental inattention or the failure to properly maintain the escalator, so that its parts wobble a little, causing gaps which can trap a small foot.

From: New York attorney Gary E. Rosenberg (personal injury and accident attorney and lawyer; serving Brooklyn Queens Bronx)