OH MY GOD!
This is an official warning.
AVOID TRAMPOLINE PARKS!
With the news overnight that Danny Clayton has broken his spine in a trampoline park accident, it’s worth talking about this new phenomenon popping up around the country and the craziness of it..
I went to one in Penrith last year with my kids, and whilst it all appears fairly safe on the surface, look a little closer and you can see the pads are worn, bars are exposed and all sorts of dodgy damage could be done.
Of course you have to sign your life away before you jump on them, but should that really cover them for negligent maintenance of the equipment?
The US has had it’s fairly spate of accidents.
CNN – Lawsuits ignite debate over trampoline park safety (27/07/2012)
Click Orlando – Health experts warn of dangers at trampoline parks (03/04/2014)
KSL – Man paralyzed in trampoline accident receives outpouring of support (10/03/2014)
Newsfix – Houston family sues trampoline park over son’s injuries (17/02/2014)
There is even a group on Facebook called Think Before You Bounce with a mission to make Trampoline Parks safer and for anyone that has had an accident to contact them..
According to the consumer watchdog in the US there are over 100,000 accidents a year at trampoline parks.
Now, we all used to jump on trampolines when we were kids and surely I’m not the only one to stick my leg through the hole on the edge and wipe myself out. Nowadays the trampolines are all so safe with the pads and the netting so why would we want kids going to a park with 100’s of other sugar-filled kids on dodgy equipment?
When I went last year, I was encouraged by someone on a microphone to attempt a double flip into a foam pit. I knew there was no chance I’d be able to get that height, but hey everyone was watching, so I gave it a shot…I landed head first into the pit of foam squares and whilst it was a soft enough landing those squares still pack a punch on the back of your head…
Luckily I didn’t end up like this guy in Phoenix.
If you dare, type in Trampoline Park Accident into Google and check out how many scary videos there are…
My stomach can’t take much more…