It seems to me that unless there was a risk of fire, they could have evacuated via a portable staircase, just like the air berlin over-shoot:
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/trav...0104-lnny.html
Though I am no expert, I understand that people can be injured on those slides, breaking ankles, etc. Certainly, if there were elderly people on that flight, I could see how having them slide down those evacuation slides could seriously hurt them. Was this just a knee-jerk reaction to the landing, or do you think they really needed the slides to get out quickly? Any thoughts?