Poor Footwear Design Results in Slip and Fall Injury

Case Overview

This case involves the questionable design of a sneaker model – the plaintiff, located in Oregon, in the claim wore a pair of designer sneakers and sustained significant injury subsequent to a slip and fall incident while wearing the shoes in question. The shoes folded in an unusual manner. We require a highly qualified expert from the sneaker design field to assist in determining if this injury was the result of the defective design of the shoes in question.

Questions to the Retail Store expert and their responses

Can poorly designed shoes result in an injury like the one mentioned above?

Yes, poorly designed footwear can result in the type of accident that has been mentioned, but in this case, it could have been a material failure, resulting in the heel buckling. If the durometer of the Foam between the Upper and the Outsole was not at a correct hardness, moving as this gentleman did, could result in this happening.

Have you ever worked with / on behalf of a sneaker manufacturer or designer to assist in the development of supportive athletic sneakers?

I am currently the Senior VP of Design and Development and I was the lead running designer for a major footwear manufacturer and formerly a Senior Designer for Timberland Outdoor Performance, Design Manager for TEVA and Saucony, as well as a consultant for many outdoor brands and athletic footwear companies.

About the expert

This highly qualified shoe design engineer has 18 years of experience working in design and development for footwear. He received a B.S. in Industrial Design at the Wentworth Institute of Technology. Former positions include being a Product Manager at le coq sportif, Senior Designer in Technical Running at New Balance Athletic Shoe, Design Manager at TEVA, Senior Designer at Timberland, Design Manager at Saucony, Design Director at Auri Footwear, and Principal at ScepiDesign. He is currently the Design Director of Footwear at a private label footwear company.

E-008936

Specialties:

Retail Store