Adults look at a trampoline and see accidents and injuries waiting to happen. Meanwhile, when children see a trampoline, all they can think about is how much fun it would be to jump on it and feel temporarily weightless. A trampoline in a neighbor’s backyard can easily make that neighbor the most popular kid in the neighborhood. It can also be a magnet for legal trouble. Even when all the parties involved exercise reasonable caution, it is still possible to suffer serious injuries when using a trampoline for its intended purpose. Your rights after getting injured in a trampoline accident vary according to the circumstances of the accident and according to your relationship with the owner of the trampoline. If you got injured while playing on a trampoline, contact a Santa Fe slip-and-fall and premises liability lawyer.
Accidental Injuries at Trampoline Parks
Trampoline parks are at once the safest and the most dangerous places to jump on trampolines. On the one hand, there is more padding around the sides of the trampoline, and there are raised lines to let you know that you are jumping a safe distance away from the other guests. There are employees keeping an eye on the festivities and ensuring that the trampolines are well maintained. On the other hand, the trampolines are so big and so many people jump on them at the same time that this leaves ample opportunity for accidents. Furthermore, if you manage to fall off of a faulty trampoline, the floors of trampoline parks are hard concrete, so the risk of serious injury is even greater than if you simply landed in the grass in your neighbor’s yard. Even riskier than the trampolines are the other attractions at trampoline parks, such as rock-climbing walls and zipline rides. Guests have suffered serious injuries when their harnesses malfunctioned while they were participating in these activities.
Premises liability laws protect guests injured at trampoline parks. Even if you signed a liability waiver, you may still be able to recover compensation if you can show that the accident was eminently preventable.
Trampoline Accidents at Private Residences
Premises liability laws also protect guests who get injured in preventable accidents at private residences. Put another way, the owner of the trampoline is legally responsible for injuries caused by it. This means that you can sue your neighbor if you get injured at a trampoline party at your neighbor’s house, but most people do not.
Most lawsuits arising from trampoline injuries at private residences invoke the active nuisance doctrine. The owner of the property is legally responsible for leaving the trampoline visible in a yard that neighborhood children can easily enter if a child jumps on the trampoline without the owner’s permission and gets injured.
Injuries Caused by Defective Trampolines
What if you get injured on your own trampoline? Product liability laws protect you if the cause of the accident is a manufacturer’s defect inherent in the trampoline.
Contact Slate Stern About Trampoline Accident Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in trampoline accidents. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
Sources
https://www.enjuris.com/premises-liability/trampoline-injuries/