Are Trampoline Parks Safe?
Ever since a fatal accident at the University of Miami where personal injury lawyer Doug Landau was a law student, in which a youngster was killed when an amusement ride came loose, Landau has been suspicious about the safety of rides, carnivals, etc.
A recent case in Texas is more evidence of the danger posed by these kinds of attractions.
In this case, a teenage boy visited a trampoline park with two of his friends. The boy and his friends — all minors — forged their parents’ signatures on the waiver required to enter the park.
The day before the boys went to the park, employees had discovered a large tear in one of the trampolines, at the base of a portion where kids are allowed to run up one side and slide down the other. Unfortunately, the only warning device placed was rope-like stanchions (like those used to form lines at the movie theater) that were placed only on the side where the tear was located. Kids coming from the other side could not see the hole and stanchion on the other side.
There were no signs warning of the hole. The park management claimed it verbally warned customers of the hole, but the boy’s attorney collected evidence from other customers that they received no such warning.
The boy ran up the summit on the side opposite of the hole and stanchion and slid down into the hole where he fell three feet and struck his head on the concrete floor under the trampoline.
He was in the hospital for 3 days and was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury.
His lawyers were able to persent past medical and future medical costs, plus physical pain and mental anguish – both past and future.
The jury founded the trampoline park grossly negligent and awarded $11.5 million to the injured teen — the largest jury verdict ever against a commercial trampoline park in the U.S.
Lawyer Landau commends the injured boy’s team of lawyers for zealously pursuing justice in this case.
If you or someone you know has been injured at an amusement park, carnival, trampoline park, or other amusement facility and there are questions as to what laws apply, email or call Abrams Landau, Ltd. at once (703-796-9555).