Are Trampoline parks dangerous? You asked, well they can be … so as a trampoline park expert, I will share three safety tips that will help the Personal Injury attorney watching, the trampoline park owner, staff, and participants who apply the advice given throughout this video. Continue watching and receive some benefits I’ve gleaned from almost 100 accident investigations. As I present this valuable information, please be aware of the graphic nature of some of the videos.
About a decade ago, my practice as a trampoline park or court expert, inspector, and third-party trainer began with a 2016 Trampoline Park incident. A Texas plaintiff's attorney called my office requesting services to investigate and opine on an accident involving a 9-year-old child who fell about 15 feet onto a concrete floor. This accident occurred because the attendant or staff member failed to instruct the child properly, pulling her safety tether down as she climbed to the top of each column. The tether is a lifeline connected to the child’s harness and a TrueBlue auto belay device that keeps them from falling too fast if they lose their balance while climbing.
The staff member in yellow failed to properly stop the child from pulling on the tether, and instead, she pulled the lifeline down below the child, and the little girl fell. As I investigate these accidents, I have found that proper staff and management training is often neglected at trampoline parks. In my opinion, it is the #1 problem in the industry.
Tip 1: Quality Training: I suggest a weekly one-hour training course for staff and management to lower TP’s risk. Document your training with videos and three-question quizzes to help the staff pay attention, and if it’s not on paper, it's vapor. Weekly training helps the TP owner meet the required 40 hours of training annually for staff and management. One hour of training per week will help staff learn the requirements set by the standards. If you need help, I can provide a focused view of your training needs, pause to write down my contact info and perform spot audits. Please note that your records and documentation need to be stored in a secure location for 20 years, and if child injuries occur, they may take longer. The ASTM standards say 20 years of retention is the best practice.
Let me take you back a decade to where it all started. The headline read:
The trampoline park industry received a severe blow in 2012 when 30-year-old Ty Thomasson was fatally injured at an Arizona trampoline park. His friends witnessed his attempt to execute a back flip into a foam pit, which broke his neck in five places.
This accident sparked the American Society for Testing and Materials or ASTM F24, the amusement park standards, to develop ASTM F2970-13, the trampoline park or court standard.
Tip 2: Following this standard lowers an owner’s risk. What I have noticed is the standard often defaults to manufacturers’ guidelines. So, use both the standards and the guidelines so their instructions are clear. This means keeping all attraction manuals or manufacturers' guidelines and training personnel with them. Train with the standards whenever possible.
When training, staff, and management always document it. Keep these training(s) and your attraction and device operation manuals secure. I guarantee you will need them and be required to produce them.
So, if you are a trampoline park owner, get involved with the standards. For about $100, you can receive the ASTM F24 volume 15.07 for trampoline parks. In the volume, there are more than 20 standards, and several apply to you.
Tip 3: Get involved with the standards to keep your patrons safer. The standards help you understand your obligations, which include annual third-party inspections and 20 years of document retention. Following the standards may get you out of a lawsuit early if the judge issues a summary judgment.
Most trampoline parks become extremely dangerous after the first year. I have seen how poor maintenance and replacement schedules place their patrons at risk.
Bonus Tip 4: So, if I were a personal injury attorney, place a billboard with your contact info near every trampoline park in your area. The billboard would read: “Injured, their waiver won’t overcome gross negligence.”
Every accident is a lose-lose for the patron, and the trampoline park is a win-win for the attorneys and the insurance company. Plaintiffs' lawsuits often cost $10s of thousands as a defendant, even with insurance. Most law firms require $10k upfront and continuing fees until the suit is settled, after that your insurance increases for five years.
So, let me help you if you’re a TP owner or an attorney. I work on both sides with 50/50 engagements with both parties.
Once again, if you need my help, pause now to capture my contact info.
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