Yet another compelling reason not to wear the god-awful things. Yes, yes, I know they're warm. So is stcking your foot and leg into the newly butchered haunch of a steer ala the gauchos of the pampas - that doesn't mean it's RIGHT.

I guess now I really know what it means when someone says, "These shoes are killing me."

Sad fate for this woman, but I'll just add it to my reasons to never wear Uggs.

Well, shit. Strange that she wasn't able to get out, as Uggs are so easy to slip out of. The railing obviously caught her foot.

DON'T TRY TO BEAT TRAINS, KIDS!!

There was also a train accident blamed on high heels a few months ago. Sometimes you just can't win.

THEY WAY THEY LOOK IS RIGHT THERE IN THE THE NAME!

WHY HAVE PEOPLE FALLEN FOR THESE?!

I am wearing Uggs right now. I was hungover and tried to convince myself not to wear them, but the rest of my office is on vacation so I'm low pro. However, I've been running very quickly to the bathroom and back so the cute guy across the hallway doesn't see me. So far seven hours of my day has been warm and cozy, but an hour has been filled with "have you no pride" echoing through my brain.

And please, no hate against Uggs. I get that many of you dislike them, but I am uncomfortable with the assertion that she died because of her "trendy" shoes.

It's not the UGGS, it's the STUPIDITY of trying to beat a train.

When the match is human vs. train, the train always wins.

BTW, that picture accompanying the story is hysterical and just terrible at the same time.

I don't usually publically proclaim my hate for things (other than vapid unnecessary NY socialites), but I hate Uggs. I hate them. I have really strange feet, and I have a 2" titanium pin in one of my metatarsals that acts just like a bizarre barometer in cold weather. It feels weird when it's cold. I thought Uggs would be nice and warm and awesome, so I spent a lot of money on some.

The sole on the ones I got is made out of the same crumbly eraser stuff as like cheap flip flops. They will not last long. There was no arch support. And in the larger (read: size 12) sizes they are so wide that the sole under the forefoot is literally like a pingpong paddle. They look so wide and stompy, just like Santa boots. They are a mess.

And by then I'd worn them and couldn't take them back. I hate them and I'm sorry I bought them.

i dont like uggs and its really sad that she died for whatever reason, however after reading the article i dont understand the series of events.

@tscheese: This is why you should buy all of your shoes at Nordstrom. They take anything back.

They shouldn't have fallen apart like that. They aren't really meant to have arch support. Kind of like flip flops.

When in doubt, blame the footwear.

I really don't understand how Uggs would be more likely to get stuck than some other type of footwear, like any other type of flat boot.

@funnyface: They're not. But the paper wouldn't be able to blame riding boots or something similar.

@Archetype: I actually find that Nordstroms' selection is a bit lacking in size 12. My local Nordstroms didn't have them in 12. I know, I know, they're actually kind of awesome because they carry ANY size 12s at all, but I ultimately had to get these from Zappos. Story of my life.

I had walked several miles in them before I realized they totally weren't going to work.

Zappos is rad, but I just couldn't bring myself to send them back. They were so scuffed and abused by that point.

And unfortch, I think I HAVE seen a lot of Uggs with a similar sole problem. Have you ever seen Uggs that have been walked-on a lot, and they develop that "flat tire" look where the sole kind of gravitates away from the footbed to one side or the other? Or they wear really unevenly? Maybe I've just had bad luck or seen a lot of abused Uggs, but for me: never again.

@Archetype: Makes me wanna say "ugh" but that might be inappropriate.

Seems they should blame the stupid wooden slat things! I rode lots of trains in England and managed not to get stuck, though.

In related ugly-shoes-are-dangerous news, this summer the WAshington Post had a bunch of articles warning people not to wear Crocs in the unairconditioned subway stations, because they were melting into the escalators and people's feet were getting mangled.

@dictator4life1: I've heard about that--a lot of it was kids dragging their feet down the side of the escalator as they rode down, and the friction just ended up burning their feet? Or the plastic would melt to someone's foot and then get stuck in the grating? Gruesome. But I kind of wonder why that doesn't happen more with cheap rubber flip flops. Maybe because they have less material and are more easily removed?

@tscheese: I do own a pair. But, truth be told, I only wear them around the house and very rarely when walking the dog. I also do not like to see them out and about, but I have no shame wearing them around my house, especially when we're trying to cut back on the heat and I'm fucking freezing.

So, to answer your question, I suppose I have seen some beat up Uggs. But I've seen loads of beat up shoes.

PS - J Crew has some awesome flat riding boots on sale for $150, and only in a size 12. Online if you're interested!

@tscheese: That's not because of the shoes, necessarily. It's because the people have feet problems. I'd put money that all their shoes look like that - really unevenly worn

@funnyface: That was my first thought, because I lived in London for some time as well. I don't recall seeing slats like the ones shown in the photograph.

Normally, I don't try to....you know....outrun a train. I feel horrible that she died, but you don't fuck around with that stuff.

After reading the article, it doesn't seem like the Uggs were to blame at all. When I read the first sentence:

"Her boyfriend and a brave passer-by pulled her free but watched in horror as the train hit her at up to 50mph."

I figured that it was a typo and they meant to say that they TRIED to pull her out. BUT... later on in the article...

"Jonathan darted through the barriers and helped get her foot out - with the train just 25 FEET away. He said: "I had her in my arms. She was safe. But her boyfriend screamed at her to get to the other side. "

Am I reading this incorrectly, or is the "blame" really on the boyfriend for asking her to cross the tracks when the train was 25 feet away? Or the girl for "curling into a ball" instead of moving out of the way? And either way, is anyone really to blame? It was a horrible, freak accident. It could have happened with Uggs, Crocs, Manolos, or Nikes. It is terrible, but sometimes tragic things happen.

@Archetype: OOO! Thanks! I went and checked them out. I wish I could order them to see if they worked for me, but unfortunately it looks like like there's no returns at all on final sale items. Too risky for me! I've been special-ordering shoes since I was 13, so I always make sure there's an "out" clause :D

Thank you though! That is awesome.

@ScarletBegonias: i don't understand either. it sounds like the student helping her got her loose ("She was safe. But her boyfriend screamed at her to get to the other side"). apparently, her lovely boyfriend didn't want to miss their train, but i don't get what happened from there. did she get stuck again or did she just freeze up because the train was so close? either way, sad and traumatizing for those involved.

@dictator4life1:Are any shoes safe anymore?

i will never ever ever understand why women want to render a perfectly good outfit hideous by wearing uggs.

they're the most horrible thing to happen to feet since footbinding.
there, I said it.

@tscheese: Bummer! Those final sales are indeed a bitch.

I love my Uggs. All you haters have NO idea what it's like living in St. Louis with god awful unpredictable weather. Honestly, it was 70 degrees this morning. Now? It's torrential pouring. And yea, it's the Uggs that saved the bottoms of my pants from destruction. Here's to Ugg love!

@treschic: I'm all for Uggs in appropriate context. With a miniskirt in LA when it's warm out? No. In cold, icky weather? Sure. Sorta like I wouldn't wear my hiking sandals just to look cute.

anti anti-ugg here

@olgagoldfarb: Oh my God, that account is even worse than I imagined. Agreed, it doesn't sound like the boots were the problem, it sounds as if she tried to beat the train.

@treschic: Mine WERE really warm, I'll give you that--and they were pretty tall, so they gave me lots of leg coverage.

This morning when I left for work (I work in NYC) my home thermometer said 39. It was raining, cold, and humid. It was about 60 degrees and the sun was coming out when I got home from work. I think everyone has their own preferred footwear for gross and irrational weather. For me it was my tough leather Fluevogs. To each her own!

I really wish I could have made my Uggs work, but alas, Uggs were not meant for me.

Three words:

What. The. FUCK.

@olgagoldfarb: I read it that way too (though it isn't very clear) and it seems like it wasn't the Uggs that killed her- it was following her dumb boyfriend's suggestion. She was safe on one side, but her boyfriend needed to make the train and screamed for her to come over, then she was hit by the train.

It is very confusing. The BBC says they couldn't get her unstuck and the Telegraph said she was going to a Tesco. The Telegraph story makes the most sense- she got stuck, boyfriend walked ahead and got to the other side, good Samaritan pulled her free, then boyfriend hollered for her to cross and she started to walk over. The train was coming so fast that she knew she made a mistake an instinctively curled into a ball.

[www.telegraph.co.uk]

Uggs are ugly but also warm, idiot boyfriends and crossing when the barriers are down will get you killed.

I've been rocking my uggs all day. I did a long run yesterday and my feet are swollen beyond belief, and these are the only things I can get them in. They're warm and cozy and fit, and I love them.

How very Fried Green Tomatoes.

A nice pair of thick Thorlo socks will keep your feet and ankles just as warm.

@AGreenEyeDevil: Socks don't work for me. There's too much animal hair floating around my house and it creates this nasty matted web of hair on the bottom of my socks. Gross.

It never ceases to impress me how similar footwear debates can be to religion/political debates. I mean, I don't know if I'd wear Uggs, per se, but it's kind of fascinating how angry they make people.

Fuck that. I love my UGGs and y'all can pry them off my cold, dead feet when I'm gone. I don't do heels, and I especially don't do them in coldass NYC weather and slush and crap - it's like my feet are snuggled up to little sheepies and all warm and snuggly. I heart my UGGs.

That said, this poor girl's boyfriend, wtf?!

@tscheese: I'm thinking your Uggs might have been the wrong size- they run pretty big. I wear an 11 normally, and a 10 in Uggs fits perfectly.
I know they're fug, but it's like walking around on springy sheep all day! So happy!

@Mikey375: The 11 was too small! My toes were actually smashed into the "fur" at the front. I know they're supposed to fit snug, but I just couldn't justify wearing a shoe that was that small.

I might actually be more of a womens' 12.5, which is an actively terrifying prospect.

Dude is my shit blocked? I tried to post something today at work and no dice.

@Mikey375: "Walking around on springy sheep" is cracking my shit up. Indeed.

I got a pair of Ugg slippers for Christmas from my mom and wore them out of the house accidentally on several occasions - once on my way to a formal party, much to my husband's glee - because they are so comfy.

And so it came to be that, after several years of mocking the Ugg-and-miniskirt set, that I saw a pair of size-10 (I'm usually a size 11, but I'd heard they run big) Uggs sitting pretty on the size-6 rack at Marshall's, hopelessly misplaced, for the low, low price of $30. I held them to my bosom for the rest of the shopping trip and gleefully wore them home. They were marked "irregular," but the irregularity seems to be extra springy sheep in the toes. I've rarely been happier with a shoe purchase. Having them on a recent airplane trip made them worth every penny.

Funnily enough in Australia where they come from until Hollywood popularised them only bogans (white trash) wore them outside the house. So I guess its all part of the hobo chic look, I have to say you all look bloody ridiculous wearing them out of the house.

Not to mention driving the price up for my favourite pair of slippers! They're all ugg boots,some one was just smart enough to get away with registering the Ugg name.

I live at hythe, and keep hearing extra details from the local YP. Horrible story.

Fashion karma exists after all.

I cycle everywhere, and even though winters aren't too ridiculous here, I couldn't have made it through happily without my Uggs. My feet are happy. Unfortunately, they're not work wear, even though I'm in a casual office, so my toes were really cold this morning :(

All I can think of when I hear about Uggs is the fucking sorority girls who all walk around in their pink running shorts, sorority tees and Uggs. And then I think about them getting hit by trains. And then I almost feel bad.

This is a sad story though. No one should get hit by a train in real life. Only in my imagination, where everyone stupid is lined up on the tracks...

It's all too Final Destination for me on this tuesday.

I bought a pair of $29.99 knock-off Easy Spirit Uggs (I'm not even cool enough to buy the real thing) just so I could take the dog out in the snow without having to lace up my snow boots. They are the best damn thing I've ever bought. They look like crap, but they're warm and comfortable and it feels like I'm wearning my bedroom slippers on my commute to work. It's torture to change into heels at the office.

I never thought that beyond extreme UGGliness, there would be another reason not to wear UGGs. (I've written about this repeatedly on my blog - www.modemonitor.com.) Besides, weren't they in like five years ago? Anyway, now that they are literally harmful to your health, I'd like to make a public service announcement imploring everyone to please stay away from them. We do not need another pair of tasteless, not to mention lethal, pair of shoes out on the streets. Thank you.

A tragic death. But as they said in the Old West: "She died with her boots on."

Boyfriend sounds like the worst human on the planet in this story if it's true. Does it not sound like he had quite the hand in her death?

@treschic: AMEN! I dont care how 2003 they are. I live in UGGs. i have 5 pairs of them. when you live in a place like nyc, it's absurd to even think of not wearing boots in the winter, and these are the most comfortable shoes in the entire world.

and its entirely impossible that she could be stuck in uggs, unless they were 2 sizes too small, because theyre ridiculously easy to get on and off.

@olgagoldfarb: Yeah, WTF with the boyfriend urging her to cross the tracks with the train only 25 feet away? You would've thought he'd be relieved that the other witness managed to free the girl from her boot. But no, the article implies that he was more concerned with missing his train.

He bears at least some culpability in this. Prick.
Oh, and I hate Uggs, but I guess that's neither here nor there. On some people, I think they actually look cute, but not for me.