Crocs urges escalator safety as child loses toe
Source: Reuters
(Adds escalator safety firm comment, other incident) By Wee Sui Lee SINGAPORE, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Crocs Inc. <CROX.O>, maker of the hugely popular crayon-coloured rubber clogs, has called for better escalator safety after a Singapore child lost a toe when its imitation clog was caught in a moving stairway. On Saturday, 2-year-old Chong Shiyr's right big toe was ripped off in a Singapore mall after her rubber clog -- an imitation of a Croc shoe -- got stuck between the escalator gap and the side wall, the toddler's mother told Reuters. Her toe was found nearly three hours later but could not be reattached as it was too badly damaged. "Crocs shoes are completely safe. The popularity of our shoes has helped draw attention to a long-existing issue that we think is very important -- escalator safety," Crocs Public Relations Manager Tia Mattson said in a statement emailed from the United States early on Thursday. "Escalators and moving sidewalks, particularly those that have not received proper care and maintenance, can be dangerous and pose risks to their riders," Crocs added. The accident is the latest involving rubber clogs and escalators. On Oct. 5, ABC News reported there had been several similar incidents in the United States. Singapore daily The Straits Times published a letter from a parent who said her 2-year-old son's Crocs sandal was "chewed in half" by an escalator. He escaped with a bruised toe. Toh Chin Chuan, director of Unilift Components, which supplies safety equipment for escalators, told Reuters that rubber footwear was more likely to be caught in escalators than shoes made of sturdier materials. Toh said accidents involving rubber clogs and escalators were "quite common".
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