Huge trampolines are everywhere. They’re a great way for kids to get physically active with their friends. But they can be dangerous – potentially deadly, even – as one Florida mom found out the hard way.
She said:
“The pain that he went through and the pain that he is continuously going through at this point — it’s been a nightmare.”
Hill posted a photo of the injured tot on Facebook with the caption:
“As hard as it is to relive the past 12 days, we feel compelled to make other parents aware of the danger associated with indoor trampoline parks.”
That post has been shared hundreds of thousands of times on social media.
According to Hill, Colton was happily jumping around at the trampoline park when, all of a sudden, “his feet hit the mat, and almost instantly his knees buckled down, and he just let out the worst scream that you could ever have heard from a child.”
Colton was taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a left femur fracture, his mom said.
She added:
“We learned from our amazing medical team that children of Colton’s age should not have been on a trampoline at all. We were completely shocked to hear this. We had no idea. My husband and I would have never put our baby boy on a trampoline if we would have known that beforehand.”
Don’t register judgement just yet; Hill said the trampoline park her family visited “specifically advertises for small children. They advertise for toddler time.”
(If you look on social media, oodles of people have been casting judgement on the Hills.)
Hill said she had to sign a waiver before her kids were allowed to start jumping, but she doesn’t remember the specifics of the agreement.
In a 2015 position statement on trampoline safety, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) said parents should not allow children under 6 to use trampolines. Additionally, the group said that only 1 person at a time should use a trampoline.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that in 2015, about 107,100 trampoline accidents requiring hospital visits occurred in the U.S. From 2009 to 2013, there were at least 21 trampoline-related deaths. [1]
The AAOS says that most injuries are the result of more than 1 person jumping on a trampoline, and the majority of injuries include sprains, strains, and broken bones, as well as head and neck injuries, and concussions. [2]
Some Safety Precautions
No one is saying that parents should get rid of their kids’ trampoline, but the American Academy of Pediatrics has some safety tips that moms and dads should adhere to:
- When children play on a trampoline, there should be adult supervision at all times.
- Only 1 person at a time should play on a trampoline.
- Children should not perform somersaults.
- Make sure the trampoline you are planning to use has adequate protective padding that is appropriately placed and in good condition.
- Check equipment often.
- Any damaged parts of the trampoline should be replaced before it is used again.
Sources:
[1] ABC News
