A WOMAN is warning people not to wear ‘old’ Crocs after being rushed to hospital with cracked ribs and internal bruising.
Jessica Foster, 21, was enjoying a family day out at a waterpark with her partner Chad Munslow, 26, and his family before the tragic incident.
When the 21-year-old left the park changing rooms in her white Crocs she says she slipped on wet grass, twisting her left foot and smashing her lower back into a steel step.
The history student claims she felt an immediate ‘sharp’ pain in her left ankle as it quickly doubled in size and began to throb.
After rushing to Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, Lincolnshire , an X-ray confirmed Jessica had sprained her ankle and would need to wear a boot for 10 days.
When the pain in her back got worse, she returned to the hospital on July, 21 where doctors confirmed she had cracked two lower ribs and bruised her lung, liver and kidney.
Jessica says her injuries were ‘self-inflicted’ as a result of wearing a pair of Crocs gifted to her by her dad in September 2022, which over time had lost their grip on the bottom.
A shocking photo shows how worn her old pair of Crocs were compared to a new pair her partner Chad treated her to this month to stop this from happening again.
Jessica is now urging others to check the bottom of their Crocs regularly and replace their shoes if the grip wears away to stop them from injuring themselves.
Jessica, from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, said: “I got the Crocs from my dad as a university present in September 2022, so they are three years old.
“The first time I noticed my shoes were wearing [on the bottom] was when my partner pointed it out to me in June this year in Tenerife, when we visited a waterpark and I almost slipped over.
“I went to a waterpark at home with my partner’s family and I was coming out of the changing rooms wearing my Crocs and it was raining so the grass was wet and muddy.
“I stepped down and slipped. I slipped on my right foot and my left foot twisted and went round.
“I fell straight onto my bum but my back hit a steel step, but I didn’t notice this pain until the evening as I was in that much pain with my foot.
“Straight away my left foot swelled and bruised and I couldn’t move it or walk on it.
“My ankle doubled in size compared to my other foot. It was a sharp pain in my foot and it was throbbing for hours.
“I went to have a bath that evening and I had a massive bruise on my back and the pain got worse and worse.
“Everything from my boobs down to my hips was really hurting and I was struggling to breathe.”
After doctors confirmed her injuries through X-rays and a CT scan, Jessica has been told to rest her foot and that her internal bruising and cracked ribs will heal on their own.
Jessica said: “I was really shocked. I’m not one to worry but when they told me I needed a trauma scan and my kidney and liver were bruised, I started to panic.
“They said in about three weeks’ time I should feel a bit more normal. I have to rest a lot as they can’t do anything with cracked ribs.
“They said the bruising on my kidney, liver and lung will heal on its own but the bruise on my back will take a while to go away.”
On the Crocs Website, they state their shoes are perfect for the beach, pool or riverside.
While Jessica doesn’t blame Crocs for her injuries as her shoes were ‘old’, she is now urging others to check the grip on their shoes before wearing them on wet or slippery surfaces.
Jessica said: “I did slip over because I was wearing Crocs with no grip and I blamed myself as I knew there was no grip on them.
“It’s important to spread awareness of this. I would say people just need to check the grip on their shoes every so often.
“If the grip has gone you need to get some new ones as they’re really slippy on wet surfaces when they’ve lost their grip.”
Crocs have been contacted for comment.
