You may be able to receive financial compensation in a lawsuit if you, your loved one or your child suffered an injury at a trampoline park. Waivers don’t always prevent trampoline parks from being sued for their customers’ injuries, so you may be able to recover money for your injuries even if a waiver was signed.
Our lawyers don’t charge a fee unless and until they recover money for you.
Call the California office of Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers now for a free consultation at 800-718-4658 to see if you qualify for financial compensation, or complete our free case evaluation form.
Waivers Are Not Absolute
The waivers that are signed before customers use trampoline parks may or may not protect the park from liability for the injuries to you, your child or your loved one, depending on the circumstances of your accident.
For example, waivers signed by minors can sometimes be voided. In addition, trampoline parks are not protected from liability for injuries caused by gross negligence, such as being aware that equipment is unsafe and doing nothing about it.
Call us at 800-718-4658 for a free evaluation of your trampoline park injury accident so we can determine whether your accident’s circumstances can void any waiver signed.
Trampoline Parks Are Largely Unregulated
The trampoline park industry is largely unregulated at the moment. California lawmakers tried to implement legislation in 2013 which would have required trampoline parks to maintain $1 million of liability insurance per accident and give their employees safety training, but the bill got stuck and went nowhere.
A trade organization called the International Association of Trampoline Parks (IATP) has been started by trampoline park owners, and they have developed safety standards for trampoline parks. Trampoline parks are not legally obligated to follow these standards, though. Park owners sign an honor-system-based pledge which states their park follows the IATP’s safety standards. The IATP has stated that they plan to implement third-party safety inspections some time in 2021.
Unfortunately, until third-party safety inspections are mandatory for trampoline parks to be IATP members, there is no way for parents in California to know if the trampoline park they are taking their children to actually follows the safety standards of the IATP, even if the park advertises itself as a member.
A lack of enforced safety standards in trampoline parks can lead to multiple issues, including:
- Unsafe equipment and facilities
- Understaffing leading to a lack of supervision
- Overcrowding leading to collisions
- Inadequate insurance policies to cover customers’ injuries
How Do Trampoline Park Injuries Occur?
Trampoline park injuries can occur due to a number of factors, including:
- Double bouncing, which can cause leg fractures
- People colliding into one another, often when too many people are allowed on the same trampoline at the same time
- Spinal injuries caused by falls while the spine is unstable
- Striking hard surfaces with your head
- Guests being encouraged to jump unsafely
- Body parts getting under padding and contacting metal trampoline springs
- Jumps into the shallow foam pits commonly found in trampoline parks
- A lack of staff supervision
- Unsafe equipment, such as equipment without protective devices, or misassembled equipment
A CBS news report, in 2019, stated that at least six people had died from trampoline park injuries since 2012, and that the number could be higher due to confidentiality agreements which may have stopped others from speaking out.
Trampoline Park Injury Types
The injuries seen at trampoline parks can range from minor injuries to fatal injuries, and can include:
- Cuts
- Scrapes
- Bruises
- Irritated skin
- Rashes
- Torn ligaments
- Whiplash
- Concussions
- Broken bones
- Spinal injuries
- Dislocations
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Paralysis
- Death
A 2019 study seemed to find that trampoline parks are more dangerous than home trampolines, finding that trampoline parks were associated with higher rates of fractures, dislocations, and surgical interventions than home trampolines. Another 2019 study found that trampoline park injuries pose a “significant” financial burden upon local emergency and orthopedic services.
What Should I Do If My Child Or I Was Injured At A Trampoline Park?
Aside from obtaining medical assistance for your injury, of course, collecting evidence is the first thing you should do after a trampoline park injury.
You will want to collect many types of evidence, including:
- Taking photos of the trampoline park, including the area where the injury happened
- Getting witness statements and information; keep chatter to a minimum here to avoid accidentally implying your own fault for the accident
- Getting information from everyone involved in the accident; again, keep chatter to a minimum
- Writing a statement which covers how you remember the event occurring
- Keeping any documents given to you by the park
- Documenting your injuries and any progress, treatments and costs related to the injuries, including lost wages due to missing work
You will also want to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer who can determine if you have a valid case, can determine if any waivers signed are actually valid, and who can help you in the evidence collection process, making sure your case is as strong as it can be.
Experienced Trampoline Park Injury Lawyers
Our experienced personal injury lawyers have been handling personal injury cases in California since 1990, so we’ve built up tremendous experience and an exceptional network of the finest personal injury experts in the state. Our team of lawyers and experts can help you build the best possible trampoline park injury case to help you financially recover fairly and fully for the injuries to you, your child or your loved one.
Best of all, we can help you at zero cost to you out of your own pocket. We only charge a fee if and once we obtain financial compensation for you and that fee is just a part of your recovery.
Call us now at 800-718-4658 for a free consultation if you, your child or your loved one was injured at a trampoline park, or talk with our live chat.
