Heely Injuries a Case of a Lack of Safety or Product Liability?
A recent report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission revealed that 64 injuries and one death were reported last year involving the Heely, which is a popular children’s shoe containing a wheel on the bottom that can be used to roll around like a roller skate. In Illinois, this report drew the interest of several news sources on Monday night. A short piece on Chicago's Fox 32 News on Monday night detailed this CPSC report while a story on WMBD-WYZZ TV examined one Peoria orthopedic surgeon’s opinion of the product. Dr. James Williams alleged in the story that rocks can often get caught in the gaps between the wheels and the sole of the shoe and cause kids to lose control and fall down. Williams suggested that these shoes are especially harder for younger kids to balance; thus making them more susceptible to injury.
Williams added that he has already seen anywhere from 20 to 30 children this year for treatment of Heely-sustained injuries, which most notably included hurt wrists and ankles. The surgeon suggested that parents require their kids to wear helmets and elbow and knee pads when using Heelys. It will be interesting to see if there are any more stories in the future about Heely injuries or whether this is just a matter of the need for better safety with the product.