A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has found that the percentage of severe injuries incurred at trampoline parks and jump parks is higher than on home trampolines. Georgia residents should know that this includes both children and adults. The most frequent injuries were fractures, especially lower extremity fractures. Open fractures and fractures requiring surgery are more common in these parks.
The U.S. Consumer Safety Commission estimates that in 2014, there were more than 100,000 cases of trampoline users visiting the emergency department. Trampoline parks, according to the study, have shot up in popularity over the past five years, so that number is likely much higher now.
In all, 55% of severe injuries are incurred in the parks and 44% on home trampolines although the number of injuries taken altogether is greater for home trampolines at 66% compared to 34%. The fracture rate at the jump parks was 45% percent for adults and 59% for children versus 17% and 47% on trampolines at home.
One of the aims of the study was to determine injury patterns at these parks. The authors refer, among other things, to a position statement from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons as one potential source that safety experts can use to devise methods for injury reduction and prevention.
If a guest at someone’s house is injured on a trampoline, he or she may be able to file a premises liability claim. The accident should have been a preventable accident, and the property owner must be proven to have breached the duty of care owed to entrants. Since this can be a difficult process, victims may wish to consult with an attorney. An attorney might hire investigators and other experts to obtain proof of negligence before proceeding to negotiations.