Why Your Fall Accident Injuries may be Linked to Your Skechers Shape-ups
Dozens of people who have suffered severe injuries from wearing the Skechers Shape-ups have filed a mass tort lawsuit against the shoe manufacturing company. The plaintiffs allege that the shoes were dangerously designed and that Skechers failed to give adequate warning to customers regarding its potential to cause injuries. In addition, the company failed to conduct any safety testing before releasing the shoes, focusing instead on an aggressive marketing campaign using celebrities and misleading test results to promote the Shape-ups.
Potential for Serious Injuries
The shoes are designed with a "kinetic wedge sole," a soft, thick, and rounded rocker bottom sole that causes instability and forces the wearer of the Shape-ups to continue to strain their muscles in order to remain balanced. Although Skechers intentionally implemented the unstable soles, promising consumers that the "micro-instability" will have significant weight-loss benefits, hundreds of consumers found that the shoes actually caused serious injuries. The awkward distribution of weight, enforced by the unstable soles, have caused serious injuries such as: pelvic bone fractures, broken bones, strained back, pulled muscles, achilles tendinitis, knee injuries, joint dislocation, and fall related injuries.
Fall Accident Injuries
After testing out the product, the Consumer Reports warned individuals with pre-existing balance problems or bone density issues not to wear the Skechers Shape-ups. The imbalance caused by the shoes could result in fall accidents, ultimately resulting in severe injuries for the consumer. According to the CDC, fall accidents are the third leading cause of unintentional injury deaths, and frequently the cause of very serious injuries. Some of the most severe injuries can be caused by fall accidents include: spinal cord injury, contusions, broken bones, traumatic brain injury, and concussions.
Determining Your Rights to Compensation
Many of the injured consumers are unaware of the role their Skechers Shape-ups may have played in causing or contributing to their injuries. A professional Skechers Shape-ups injury lawyer can assess your case and help you determine whether your shoes are may have contributed to your injuries. The Consumer Product Safety Commission received over 1,000 reports of toning shoe related injuries, hundreds of which were filed concerning the Skechers Shape-ups.
Your Rights to Compensation
Although Skechers and Reebok, both settled their false advertising class-action lawsuits for millions of dollars, for injured victims, a refund of $40 does little to compensate the injured consumer for the medical bills, lost wages, and other injury related damages. Make sure you are properly compensated for your Skechers Shape-ups caused serious injuries by consulting a qualified defective product injury lawyer today.
Wearers of Skechers Shape-ups, AVIA Avi-Motion, FitFlop sandals, Croc Tone Shoes, MBT boots, Reebok EasyTone or any other type of toning shoe are experiencing trip and fall accidents, fall from stair accidents and fall from curb accidents. It seems the curved sole design of toning shoes is making it hard for wearers to stabilize themselves when walking and therefore, is increasing the likelihood of a fall-related injury. Studies have also shown that toning shoes can alter a person's gait, which when worn for extended periods of time, can lead to severe alignment issues. 
Many consumers are enticed by the marketing promises and celebrity endorsements of Skechers Shape-ups and other similar toning shoes with a rounded sole or "rocker bottom". After all, who doesn't want to burn more calories, have better posture and naturally feel more energetic? According to an article last week in Consumer Reports, Americans spent more than $1 billion on toning shoes in 2010, up from about $360 million the previous year. 
