Government reports 1,600 roller-shoe injuries

CHICAGO (AP) - Roller shoe-related injuries resulted in 1,600 emergency room visits last year, a much higher estimate tied to the trendy footwear than previously reported, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday. The injuries were mostly in children, the target market for the wheeled shoes that send kids cruising down sidewalks, across playgrounds and through shopping mall crowds. Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said last week that the agency knew of at least 64 roller shoe-related injuries and one death between September 2005 through December 2006. The new higher estimate is based on a more recent and thorough examination by staff statisticians of data reported to the agency, Wolfso