Heely's who came up with this one?

ok...i was the mom who swore up and down my kids would never own a pair of these death traps...(ok, to me)...but lo and behold, my dh told them if they could save half the cost of them they could have them...and the little buggers did it...so all three of my in tact (for the moment) kids have them...until TODAY!!!

my dd, scoot...was on the bus playing with one of the wheels and someone (she said) took it...the someone shall remain nameless although he is a stinker...took one because supposedly she was being "annoying"...whatever that means...a 7 yr old is probably always annoying to a 13 year old boy...so now she is minus one heely (the rollerblade part) and mom has to make the call....to his mom...who is my friend, which makes it all the more tricky. I'm going to sleep on it first and get all the "facts" from the bus driver in the morning...

But what i would like to know is what kind of person invents something that can harm our children...ok, so i'm probably overreacting...but upon researching (ok, i googled it) AND drum roll please... croc injuries came up...who would have thought???

I typed in “Crocs” and “injury” and over 309,000 hits were returned. When I added “escalator” it was still almost 37,000 results. Is this acceptable? Not to me. However, when I replaced the word “Crocs” with “Sneaker” the results went up. So, does this mean all shoes pose a hazard on escalators? Well, use your common sense. Crocs have been on the market for just a fraction of the time that sneakers have, and yet the injuries with Crocs are snowballing.

so i tried again...and the good ole weekly reader had this to say:

Are roller shoes a hazard to kids' health?
last summer Noah Woelfel, of Davidsonville, Maryland, took his wheeled sneakers out for a spin in his family's driveway. But when a piece of gravel became lodged in the wheel of one of his shoes, the nine-year-old lost his balance and fell. He broke several fingers and wrist bones in his right hand. "He required surgery and pins [in his bones]," says his mother, Nancy, "and he was six weeks without using his hand, right at the beginning of school." Noah was wearing Heelys. The trendy shoes look like sneakers, but they have wheel sockets in each heel. Heelys can be used for walking, but the wheels pop out when users shift their weight to their heels. This sends kids cruising down sidewalks, school campuses, and skate parks. Heelys are sold in 70 countries. Since their arrival in 2000, about 4.5 million pairs have been sold. And, according to one new study, the shoes are also sending hundreds of kids to the hospital.

Critical Thinking Questions
Do you think kids should continue to wear Heelys? Why or why not?
What are some other ways you and your friends can stay safe this summer? In 2006, accidents from Heelys and other roller-shoe brands contributed to about 1,600 emergency room visits. According to a safety group called the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, most of those injuries involved children like Noah.

-->Doctors across the world have reported treating broken wrists, arms, and ankles. Some have seen dislocated elbows and even cracked skulls in children injured while wearing the roller shoes. One hospital in Dublin, Ireland, reports treating 67 injuries from roller shoes in a single 10-week period. Dr. James Beaty is the president of an organization which recently released safety guidelines for wearing Heelys. "As these shoes are sold in department stores, parents buying them may develop a false sense of security that they are like any other shoe," he says. "Roller shoes are very similar to being on Rollerblades or in-line skates, and protective gear should be worn at all times." Kids who wear roller shoes should wear a helmet, wrist protectors, and knee and elbow pads. Beaty says 'heelers' should also learn how to stop properly and heel only on smooth surfaces, away from traffic. The manufacturers of Heelys insist the shoes are safer than other wheeled sports, such as skateboarding and in-line skating. "Heelys wheeled footwear is a relatively new and unique sport," says Heelys CEO Mike Staffaroni. "Just like any sport, knowing the proper way to use Heelys is the key to fun and safety."

http://www.weeklyreader.com/featurezone/heelys.asp

Need i say more? Lord knows i've said enough...