Experts are Increasingly Concerned About Trampoline Parks

Friday, October 4, 2013

Experts are Increasingly Concerned About Trampoline Parks

Written by Malman Law, reviewed by Steve J. Malman.

Trampoline parks—facilities usually consisting of one or more rooms with trampoline floors—have recently surged in popularity. As a result, the number of serious injuries sustained on trampolines has also risen. The sudden popularity is a source of concern for many safety experts and doctors, who wish to pass laws protecting children from potential harm. Unfortunately, compensation may be extremely difficult to recover following trampoline park injuries, as personal injury attorneys can’t prove a facility’s liability when parents or legal adults have signed a liability waiver prior to injury.

Taking Steps to Improve Safety

Despite the more advanced safety measures taken in trampoline parks such as extra padding and nets, serious life-altering injuries are still common. Many parks require children’s parents and adults 18 and older to sign a liability waiver preventing lawsuits if injuries are experienced.

According to many medical professionals, most of the injuries that occur at trampoline parks are injuries normally seen with vehicle accidents. In one instance, a 20-year-old college student visited a trampoline park with a group of friends. He jumped into a foam block pit, which he trusted to cushion his fall, but he instead fell through the blocks and hit the solid floor head-first. The man broke a vertebra in his neck in the fall, resulting in permanent paralysis from the neck down. Even some of the most serious accidents like this one are nearly impossible for personal injury lawyers to represent because of the signed liability waivers.

California is one of the first states to implement stricter safety practices for trampoline parks. The state now requires mandatory inspections to take place in the parks to ensure equipment meets safety standards, much like amusement parks. If more safety improvement methods are implemented like this, people will be able to enjoy trampoline parks without the concerning safety experts and personal injury attorneys.