San Antonio Trampoline Park Injury Lawyer
Trampoline Park Injuries in San Antonio
Trampoline centers can provide hours of fun and exercise for kids. Unfortunately, trampoline centers can also lead to serious injuries and more visits to emergency departments. Common injuries from trampoline accidents can include head injuries, spinal injuries, leg injuries, trunk injuries, and more. In severe cases, trampoline park injuries can result in permanent disability, wrongful death, and thousands of dollars in medical bills. The worst part is that trampoline centers recognize the potential for severe injury, so they require all visitors to sign lengthy waivers, often excusing them from full liability in the event of an accident. This doesn’t mean that you can’t pursue legal action at all, it just means that if you do decide to pursue legal action, you’ll need strong legal representation on your side.
San Antonio personal injury lawyers at Janicek Law believe that trampoline parks should be held responsible for the injuries that children sustain within their premises. We can investigate the details of your child’s injury – as well as the details of the waiver you signed – and help you determine the best course of action. Call 210-366-4949 to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer today.
What Are Trampoline Parks?
Trampoline parks are basically giant gymnasiums full of wall to wall trampolines. In the last 10 years, trampoline park franchises like Sky Zone, Altitude, Rockin’ Jump, Urban Air, Big Air, etc. have been popping up all over the country. These parks have become a popular destination for parents with high-energy kids.
How Often Do Trampoline Park Injuries Happen?
According to a report from the Mayo Clinic, more than 800,000 kids (under the age of 16) have suffered trampoline injuries between the years of 2009 and 2018. Most of the injuries occurred on home trampolines.
Additionally, the Mayo Clinic states that most injuries sustained – broken bones in the arms and legs – are non-life threatening. However, it’s very possible for children to suffer serious injuries during backyard trampoline accidents and trampoline park accidents.
Common Types of Trampoline Park Injuries
Common trampoline injuries include:
- Broken bones in the arms, legs, fingers, toes, and clavicles
- Traumatic brain injuries such as concussions and subdural hematomas
- Back and spinal cord injuries
- Partial or complete paralysis
- Neck injuries
- Dislocated joints in the arms and legs
- Muscle sprains and strains
- Bruising and lacerations
So how do these injuries happen? As we all know, children are incredibly creative with finding ways to potentially hurt themselves. Kids can get injured even in the safest environments. Trampoline use naturally increases children’s clumsiness and creative abilities to get hurt.
Common causes of trampoline-related injuries can include flipping and landing wrong (on their head or neck, for example), jumping and colliding with another child, jumping and landing wrong on an outstretched arm, landing wrong after a double bounce, etc.
Which is More Dangerous: Backyard Trampolines or Trampoline Parks?
While children can easily suffer injuries on both types of trampolines, commercial trampoline centers definitely carry a higher risk of injury according to a recent study. In fact, this study found that a child’s risk of suffering an orthopedic or musculoskeletal injury is twice as high at a trampoline center. Additionally, the risk of child leg injuries is three times higher at trampoline parks compared to home trampolines.
Both home trampolines and trampoline parks have nearly the same risk of hospital admission. However, the injuries sustained at trampoline centers were generally more severe and were two times more likely to require surgical treatment according to the aforementioned study.
Experts believe that trampoline parks cause more catastrophic injuries compared to the average backyard trampoline because of structural differences. These wall to wall trampolines tend to have a higher tensile strength, which creates a harder bounce. This means that the bones, joints, and ligaments are under more stress while jumping.
This doesn’t mean that home trampolines don’t pose their own set of dangers. Both younger and older children are more likely to suffer arm injuries, concussions, and lacerations with home trampoline use. That’s because these trampolines have exposed structures – such as spring mechanisms – that aren’t covered by padding.
Do Trampoline Parks Have Safety Standards?
The answer to this question depends on the state and the trampoline park franchise. Some states have mandatory safety standards that all trampoline parks must follow. Texas is not one of these states, according to a 2022 Tyler Morning Telegraph article. But because trampoline park injuries increased over the last decade, more parents and politicians are pushing for mandatory safety guidelines in these parks.
Can You Sue for Trampoline Park Injuries?
Suing trampoline parks for injuries can be tricky mostly because most parks require parents to sign liability waivers. Many of these waivers attempt to excuse the park of all liability related to injuries. The lack of mandated safety standards in Texas makes this situation more complicated.
Still, this doesn’t mean you can’t sue trampoline park operators at all. It just means you will need really strong legal representation on your side if your child happens to suffer a trampoline injury. San Antonio personal injury lawyers at Janicek Law can carefully read through these waivers and find a loophole for you, so that you can recover financial compensation for your damages.
Damages for Trampoline Park Damages
San Antonio personal injury lawyers at Janicek Law can help you recover financial compensation for the following types of damages:
- Past and future medical bills
- Past and future rehabilitation bills
- Expenses for necessary medical equipment like wheelchairs, braces, etc.
- Lost wages (for the parents)
- Loss of earning capacity (for the child if they suffer a permanent disability that will prevent them from working in the future)
- Emotional distress
- Permanent scarring, disability, and/or disfigurement
- Funeral and burial expenses if the trampoline injury leads to wrongful death
How To Keep Your Kids Safe at Trampoline Parks
Although trampolines do carry risk of injury, children can still enjoy them with proper parental supervision. Additionally, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that both parents and younger children keep the following safety tips in mind:
- Tell kids to avoid flips, somersaults, and falls on trampolines. These moves increase the risk of traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries.
- Make sure that backyard trampolines are set up correctly and safely so there’s no risk of it falling apart.
- Set up backyard trampolines are set up on soft, level ground. In other words, don’t set up a trampoline on concrete or on a hill.
- Make sure that kids are jumping with bare feet. Socks and shoes on a trampoline can increase the risk of injury.
- Make sure that kids don’t jump off the trampoline. Instead, they should walk off.
- Instruct kids to avoid double bouncing, which is when two people bounce next to each other and try to transfer the kinetic energy to the other bouncer. Double bouncing can make someone bounce higher than usual, but it also increases the level of force and stress on the body during the landing.
- Make sure that kids aren’t wrestling, running, or jumping on each other.
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