Trampoline parks are a growing trend in many states, and some businesses even offer rooms full of trampolines for visitors’ enjoyment. Videos of trampoline parks are going viral on the Internet, showing gymnasts and ordinary visitors doing extraordinary stunts. These parks have foam pits, obstacle courses, and group activities to keep children and teenagers active in a fun, exhilarating way. However, some parents of injured children are now suing trampoline parks for broken bones, skull fractures, and traumatic brain injuries.
Trampoline Park Responsibilities
Based on the laws of premises liability, businesses like trampoline parks have a legal duty to provide for the reasonable care of invitees or customers invited to the property for business purposes. Trampoline park property owners must provide regular safety maintenance inspections, repair any known dangers on the premises, and warn guests and visitors of known hazards.
Of the three categories of visitors to a property, business owners owe the highest standard of care to invitees. The other two categories are licensees (or family members and friends) and trespassers. Business owners still must maintain a safe property for licensees, but they don’t have to inspect properties. Entrepreneurs also don’t have to provide for the reasonable care of trespassers – unless they’re child trespassers.
State laws regulate trampoline parks less compared to other amusement parks since they don’t require moving parts or machinery. This means safety infractions can go unnoticed or slip under the radar of maintenance inspections. Parks may be able to claim that an injured child was partially responsible for an accident if he or she went outside the boundaries of the designated area or engaged in “risky” behavior. If you take your child to a trampoline park, be aware of these facts and know what the law requires of recreation businesses.
Lawsuits Against Trampoline Parks
Recently, a family sued Cosmic Jump, a trampoline park in Houston, for the head injuries a 16-year-old boy sustained while using the equipment. The boy fell through a tear in one of the trampolines onto the cement floor beneath and struck his head. The teenager suffered skull fractures and bleeding in his brain, leaving him permanently altered. He now struggles with simple tasks he used to be able to do, such as keeping his balance.
In this lawsuit, Cosmic Jump failed in its duty to maintain a safe premises for visitors. The property owner’s negligence led to an unsafe condition, which ultimately resulted in the teenager’s traumatic brain injury. Although Cosmic Jump makes parents of minors sign liability waivers before participating on the trampolines, these waivers only protect the business so far. A waiver doesn’t apply when a business owner negligently allows a dangerous condition to exist on his or her property.
Injured at a Trampoline Park? Call (913) 428-8220
If you or your child was injured at a trampoline park, it’s possible to sue. The courts may find the property owner, business manager, or an employee negligent in his or her duties to provide a reasonably safe premises for guests at the time of your injury. If, for example, a staff member negligently supervised a group of 32 children and an injury occurred because of the negligence, the courts may rule in the victim’s favor.
At Dickerson Oxton, LLC, we have experience handling personal injury cases that involve premises liability laws in Missouri and Kansas. We have two Kansas City personal injury lawyers working on every case that comes to our firm for help, maximizing the victim’s chances at winning recovery for damages. Our team is dedicated to defending the rights of injured victims when the injury was the result of someone else’s negligence. Take a stand against a trampoline park that caused your injury. Contact us today for a free confidential consultation about your case.