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Nearly 100,000 were injured on trampolines in 2009, the last year for which there is complete data, pediatricians warn.
Trampolines are too dangerous for children to use, the American Academy of Pediatrics said Monday. Citing nearly 100,000 injuries in 2009, the academy issued the warning in a statement published in Pediatrics and noted that the safety nets added in recent years don’t make much of a difference.
That makes a lot of sense to Carolyn Prouty.
Prouty will never forget the day, eight years ago, she saw her 8-year-old daughter Destini bounce off the backyard trampoline and land hard on her head and neck. Prouty rushed over to find her daughter in excruciating pain, arms numb.
“My first response was that she was going to be paralyzed, seeing how she landed,” said Prouty, a nurse from Spokane, Wash.
Destini was airlifted to the hospital where doctors determined that she hadn’t broken anything, but had sustained a concussion and a strained neck. But that was enough for Prouty. “It was a big relief to know that she was fine, but I got rid of the trampoline,” she said.
Destini had been showing her mom gymnastics moves she’d been practicing when the accident happened. Like many parents, Prouty had assumed that as long as her daughter followed general safety rules such as only one child on the trampoline at a time, Destini would be fine. But even when safety precautions are taken, trampolines can still be dangerous, said Dr. Michele LaBotz, a lead author of the new AAP statement and a sports medicine physician at Intermed Sports Medicine in Portland, Me.
And attempts by the trampoline industry to make things safer, like the addition of nets, don’t seem to have made much difference, LaBotz said. They do, however, tend to lull parents into a false sense of security.
“Pediatricians need to actively discourage recreational trampoline use,” said LaBotz, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics executive council on sports medicine and fitness. “This is not a toy. It’s a piece of equipment. We recommend that you not provide it for your family or your neighbors to use. But if you do use one, you need to be aware of the risks.”
Parents mistakenly see trampolines as benign playthings, LaBotz said.
“I think parents see the soft springy mat and they think it’s safe, like water,” LaBotz said. “What they don’t realize is that once you get it to bouncing, especially if there are multiple users, it can be dangerous. Bigger kids and adults like to rocket propel up the little kids, getting them to bounce higher than they would otherwise and if the kid comes down wrong, it is the same as falling 9 or 10 feet onto a hard surface.”
In fact, data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System show that most – 75 percent – of trampoline injuries occur when multiple people are jumping on the mat. In those cases, the smaller child was 14 times as likely as a larger one to be injured.
That’s how Brooke Carlson’s 12-year-old son Clay broke his hand five years ago on a friend’s trampoline. It all happened so quickly, said Carlson, a horse trainer from Morgan Hill, Calif.
“He was only there 15 or 20 minutes jumping on the trampoline with his brother and two friends,” Carlson said. “I thought they were pretty safe.”
Carlson had planned on buying a trampoline herself until the accident. “After this I was scared that somebody would get hurt on it,” she said.
The NEISS data showed that the youngest kids are at greatest risk for significant injury, including fractures of the legs and spine. Studies have shown that children younger than 6 years old accounted for 22 to 37 percent of all those turning up in the emergency room for evaluation. And NEISS data show that 29 percent of injuries in kids ages 6 to 17 were fractures or dislocations, as compared with 48 percent in kids 5 years and younger.
Among the most common injuries in all age groups, include sprains, strains and contusions. Falls from the trampoline accounted for 37 to 39 percent of all injuries and can be potentially catastrophic, the authors reported. Especially frightening was one study cited by LaBotz and her colleagues that found that 1 in 200 trampoline injuries resulted in some sort of permanent neurologic damage.
In LaBotz’s experience, even after a kid has an accident, parents will often continue to let them use the trampoline. “There are a number of families, even those with kids who have had significant injuries, who decide they still want the trampoline as part of what they offer to their children,” LaBotz said.
That doesn’t surprise Dr. Barbara A. Gaines, director of trauma and injury prevention at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
“This is something kids really like,” Gaines said. “It’s fun and it’s something you can do in your backyard. It doesn’t have a motor attached. And all of that give parents a false sense of security, especially when you add in safety devices like nets. But this statement is highlighting the fact that there are no data showing that they make it any safer.”
Given that many parents probably won’t be willing to give up the trampoline in their backyard, Gaines commends the AAP for also providing a list of safety measures for people who do continue to use the equipment.
Ultimately, the most important thing is for parents to recognize the danger.
“When individual families come in with an injured child, it seems to them to be like one of those freak things,” Gaines said. “Everything was fine and then all of a sudden something happened.
“But these are not just accidents. There is a pattern to them and there’s something we can do to prevent them. It’s not that we don’t want kids to have fun. But injury shouldn’t be an expected part of childhood."
The report includes key recommendations for pediatricians and parents, including:
- Trampolines should be set at ground level whenever possible or on a level surface and in areas cleared of any surrounding hazards.
- Active supervision by adults familiar with the recommendations should occur at all times. Supervising adults should be willing and able to enforce these guidelines. Mere presence of an adult is not sufficient.
- Pediatricians should advise parents and children against recreational trampoline use. Netting and other safety equipment doesn't help reduce injury rates.
- Failed attempts at somersaults and flips frequently cause cervical spine injuries and can result in permanent and devastating consequences.
- Homeowners with a trampoline should verify that their insurance covers trampoline injury-related claims.
- At trampoline parks, remember that their rules and regulations may not be consistent with the AAP guidelines.
- Trampolines used for a structured sports training program should always have appropriate supervision, coaching and safety measures in place.
Click for the complete report on trampoline safety in childhood and adolescence
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My kids will never have the privilege of one of these in our backyard. When I was 13, I was jumping with a friend's brother who was much bigger than me. I went flying, and landed with my knee flying up and practically bashing in my front 8 teeth in. While I didn't lose any teeth, I've since had 5 root canals, 1 apicoectomy, and have spent thousands to fix my teeth. They are dangerous and I don't approve.
My kids (and their friends) always used our trampoline, while we had a few bumps nothing serious ever came from it. Kids get hurt, but need to be active and trampolines require balance and endurance. These doctors who discourage activity are morons, kids need more activity.
Nature's way of culling the weak....
I can't imagine why our kids are obese... why don't we just bubble wrap them... soon soccer will be too dangerous.. cleat to the shin, broken ankles, then there's baseball.. line drive to the chest is always possible... no more merry go rounds, no more monkey bars... no more high sliding boards... Life is dangerous!!!
Grew up in the south in the 90s and almost every house with kids had a trampoline. Almost every house with kids had a kid break an arm on one. My parents didn't own one so I went to a friends house to play on theirs. Got extremely close to breaking my jaw after we were playing "crack the egg" and I flew off. Never went on it again with multiple people.
Parents are ridiculous these days. I loved my trampoline and I learned kinesthetic awareness on it. Kids are going to hurt themselves no matter what and parents need to let their kids off the tit.
Meanwhile, many kids have given up trampolines for skateboards and trick bikes. Thank goodness no one ever gets hurt on those.
There are plenty of ways to get exercise without one of these and John, your comment was uncalled for. No one said not to get exercise. I have seen kids fly off these and get hurt, get hurt on them, and worked on them in the ER after incidents on them.
I have never understood having one and wouldn't. My kids play and get exercise, and it's about time the AAP said this so more will be aware.
As a rehab doc, I believe there are way too many SERIOUS injuries from trampolines to warrant this being considered just another activity for kids to keep them physically engaged. It's not just the sprains, strains and broken arms. There are serious risks of broken necks and backs. When your child is paralyzed, perhaps you will stop minimizing the dangers. I hope it wouldn't come to that. There are SO many other, healthy ways for children to be physically active that are not so dangerous. If you continue to choose to endanger your kids though, you'll just keep paying my salary.
paralyzed...duh duh duh.....!
kids can be paralyzed playing little league baseball ..
but good point...NOT...
I hurt myself climbing trees, cliffs at state parks, trail running, gymnastics, BMX, baseball, soccer, and I hurt myself after my parents told me not to do something. So I say ban trees, bikes, baseballs, soccer fields, trails, whatever can hurt your poor precious child. How the hell did any of you survive with such evil instruments of child endangerment?
Ram I understand it's how you feel, it's not how I feel. You cannot lump everyone together.. like everything in life.. live and let live and you will learn.
BIG DUH AWARD OF THE DAY! If you don't follow safety rules you will most likely have an accident. Now that's news! Are you kidding? One person at a time. An Adult willing to enforce the rules? Who'da thunk?
If an accident occurs there is an adult to call 911.
SkiCO267: One jumper at a time, plz.
I've never been hurt on my trampoline, but I have a lot of scars from my bike. Should we make them all illegal? LOL - no.
No more gymnastics. No running, jumping and we haven't even talked about pole vaulting yet. (rediculous)
The doctor that said trampolines aren't safe "like water" never had an ass violation by 16 gallons of lake water after a hard skiing crash. I was violated so badly as a child, that I actually still dribble lake water after I urinate.
Oh my lord - People wake up. When I was a kid we played on these too, even though all of us got injured (sprained ankles, bruises, one concussion). We kept getting right back on it, day after day... right up until one of our friends launched their little brother up and broke his neck on one. Then the parents who had it in their back yard finally took it down. They aren't safe. Do kids get hurt? sure. But that doesn't mean that we as parents need to condone the most dangerous of activities.
It's the percentage of serious injuries caused by trampoline use that's the problem. If ER doctors noticed an uptick in concussive head injury and later found that 75% of those injuries were coming from playing on their "Bingo Bongo Fun" toy, they would reccomend to parents not to let their kids play on "Bingo Bongo Fun" toy or if they did that they should at least take precautionary measures (like wearing a helmet, using adult supervision, etc.). This is why we have protective padding and helmets in sports, why it's law that kids have to wear bike helmets and why mothers for time immemorial have yelled out their kitchen windows to Johnny to "get out of that tree right now before you break your neck!"
Oh and BTW just because YOU did something dangerous and survived doesn't make it safe. I once drove after drinking in my 20s and accidentally turned the wrong way on a one way street. I got home alive and no one got hurt. That doesn't mean it was a good idea or that the dangers of drinking and driving are overstated. Grow up, you're the parents. Stop acting like a kid trying to get away with something.
RehabDoc is absolutely right-trampolines take exceptionally high honors in neck injuries that result in paralysis. I'm an experienced rehab nurse with an emphasis on spinal-cord injury (SCI). The three heart-breaking trends in trampoline injuries are: 1) the injured are almost 100% children and teens, 2) the injuries are bad and life-long-can't use arms or legs, and sometimes require a ventilator 3) safe usage helps very little in prevention.
Unlike Rehabdoc, I'd rather never see your children professionally.
Really? Don't have anything better to war against? Kids do stupid stuff. That is par for the course of being a kid. Bad things ARE going to happen but this incessant attack against everything from eggs to hand guns is just making us weak as a people and as a country. Looking back, I am amazed I survived my childhood but I am a better stronger person having survived it. If you lock your kids in a room and release them when they are 18, you are setting them up for failure in LIFE. How many kids get hurt playing sports? maybe we should ban all sports. Cars? Outlaw them sons a bitches. Dogs? lets make it illegal to own pets...period. Stop being stupid and ridiculous and play WITH your kids everyonce in a while.
How many kids hurt themselves falling out of trees? Let's make kids safer by cutting down all the trees.
Anyone who doubts how dangerous trampolines are -- to kids and adults alike -- should watch a few episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos. Only you won't be laughing.
Yes they are dangerous, but what is a little danger in the grand scheme of life. People die, break their necks, arms, legs, noses, fight, bully, and that's just part of life. You can't put kids in a bubble, or else you'll have the generation of kids like we have now..pussy's.
Commonsense could and should be used with trampoline's - if you own one you need to be out there with your children supervising them and if you aren't going to supervise them than take it down. There are a multitude of activities that our children could and do get hurt doing - we can't bubble wrap them - skateboarding, bike riding, baseball, softball, hockey, etc are all inheritantly dangerous activities, but I don't hear anyone screaming to outlaw those - hmm maybe that will be next.
I grew up in Chadwick, Maryland and there was a guy that lived across the street from us that was paralyzed from the waist down and was in a wheel chair. He was probably about 13-15 years old. He got paralyzed by jumping on a trampoline with his friends and when he came down, he landed in the coils of the trampoline and it paralyzed him. My parents never let us have one after that.
You are an idiot
We've raised 6 kids and always had a trampoline. It's the one "toy" they always used, even when older. I'm sure it's possible to get injured on it as it is with almost anything. I guess we were just "lucky". Just set some rules and stick with them.
Hi everyone,
When my kids were little, my daughther broke her arm on our trampoline when she was eight years old. She had her cast off barely a week and my son did the same thing. He was at a friends house and was playing on their trampoline. He broke his arm also. They are sooo fun to play on, but really are quite dangerous. You really cannot control how you land to an extent.
So all of you who think you're being a wus if you take the advice in this article regarding trampolines...
I'm guessing you also
After all, WE survived our childhood....blah blah blah... if your kid can survive being mauled by a tiger he's bound to be a better person for it in the long run than had he never been brave enough to jump the fence at the zoo in the first place.
I wonder if the parents of the kids that have been seriously injured or killed would agree with you that their kids are "better, stronger people" for it. Surviving stupidity doesn't make it smart. It seriously reminds me of the alcoholic who swears he drives better after a few drinks "aw shucks man, I ain't never crashed into no body. I hurt myself more whens I try to walk after drinking, trippin' over dem curbs and stuff. Shoot..."
i agree that trampolines are way too dangerous for kids. At our house, the trampoline is for my elderly parents only. period.
I like Lynndane's suggestion lets bubble wrap our kids. While we are at it restrict sports, bikes, karate, roller skates and skateboards as well running, hiking, taking the dog for a walk and even venturing outside. The best prescription is to sit them in front of the TV or Xbox, feed them a diet of processed food high in sugar. Problem solved.
So I guess me and my friend on either side bouncing with his son in the middle, trying to see how high we could launch him, was a bad thing...
Guess we save the trampolines for making cute bouncing bulldog videos!
Lock your kids in their rooms, take away the bikes, pellet guns, hockey sticks, baseball bats, tree houses, skateboards, snowboards, dirtbikes, four wheelers, and all manner of fun. Go live in fear and shake with thoughts of the unknown. It is the only way for your kids to escape natural selection.
lol we used to jump off the peak of our house with sheets as parachutes looooool not to smart!
its kind of like a risk vs reward thing when yur a kid lol
as long as they're supervised no problem
It may sound over protective, but there are a lot more things for kids to do in order to get
exercise! Years and years ago, when my kids were growing up, in our small subdivision, we have
two (2) too many kids hurt on their trampolines - both of which wound up paralyzed!!! I'm sorry
but get out and run, ride their bikes, play tag, etc., etc., etc.
The problem is that parents send their children out to play on them and do not supervise them. I know of two childreninjured, one who a back injury and one who had a tooth knocked out all because (no adult was there) and more than one child was on it. There should be a mesh guard around the perimeter and only one child at a time! There is no reason for them to not to take turns, except that too many parents are either too self absorbed to supervise and/or want to be their child's buddy, instead of their parent.
Xina the Lamesome, since you seem to be such an expert, please let me know which activities I should have my children in, and for how long, such that they can get exercise, coordination, have fun, and yet remain totally safe. Seriously, let me know. I can't think of ONE SINGLE activity that is without risk. NOT ONE. So, please enlighten me.
When I was a kid the most serious injuries came from falling off rope swings.
I have a trampoline in the back yard. First thing if you have one: paint or tape an "X" or a bulls eye in the center, just like an Olympic trampoline. Tell the kids, when you jump, keep aiming for that bulls eye. There's a reason the Olympics require this. Second, one at a time, period. Those two things will make it much, much safer and your kids can have FUN.
"Trampolines are too dangerous for children to use, the American Academy of Pediatrics said Monday. Citing nearly 100,000 injuries in 2009, the academy issued the warning in a statement published in Pediatrics..."
100,000 injuries from trampolines in 2009, compared to how many deaths caused by doctors in 2009?
When I was a teenager in the 60s I went with some friends to a local trampoline place and am very lucky that I am alive to be able to write this email. I tried a flip, landed wrong on my neck and pinched some nerves in my cervical vertebrae that continue to give me problems many, many years later.
Hope all your kids do not suffer such an unexpected but predictable mishap because they can have major injuries that will last for many years to come.
while I have never liked trampolines I have to agree- how can we complain about childhood obesity when we take every outdoor activity away from them. don't let girls run, it screws up their knees, no trampolines, no bikes- you might get hit by a car or fall off and break an arm, no horse back riding lesson, you might get kicked or fall off and break something, no skateboards you might break something, no rollerblades you might break your ankle, cant go swimming you might drown or catch a brain ameoba, no football you might get a concussion, no gymnastic you might break your neck- so what exactly are they supposed to do to get exercise? if you haven't noticed a trend here you can break a bone doing most anything and guess what- broken bones heal- i would know ive broken enough of them including my back and a head fracture and im still here and not obese- what a shock. we also wonder why people are so terrified of everything and risk adverse- maybe because todays parents paralyze their children with fear, fear of everything. the message your sending is dont do anything its too dangerous or you might fail so its better to sit on your butt and complain your fat and unsuccessful than take a risk.
Giving your daughter a stripper name, like Destini, is probably more dangerous than any backyard toy.
Whatever happened to jumping up and down on Mom and Dad's bed?
Common sense when used with any form of exercise equipment will go along way to keeping injuries down. Kids are going to get hurt from time to time and even adults get hurt but when common sense is not used I feel that is when the accidents happen almost all of the time.
Kids and even some adults are always trying to find a way to make it more fun or more exciting (or being dared) by stupid means like jumping off the roof to see how high you can bounce which leads to even more stupid thoughts on how to top that idea. Its just like people who have jumped from balconies or roofs or a tree etc when diving into water in a pool or lake etc and sometimes the results are deadly but if we use common sense events like these hopefully will not happen.
Painting a bulls eye in the center of the trampoline makes perfect sense to me as well as explaining to all children how to properly use the equipment they are using whether its a bicycle, roller blades, a swimming pool or even a trampoline.
Adult supervision is a big plus but parents cannot be everywhere there child is going to be. Letting a child's friend use your trampoline is almost asking for trouble these days unless you have talked with that child's parents and or explained its use to the child and parent or you may be looking at a lawsuit these days if the child is injured. Some homeowners insurance policy's will not cover trampolines I have been told but I would check with your insurance company before buying one just to be sure, and if you rent your place I'd check with the property owner first.
We cannot ever stop kids from getting hurt 100% of the time but teaching them the proper way to use something will help and using common sense as much as possible will help but parents need to be parents teach there kids the right way to play these days and not put others at risk.
I feel for the parents that have either lost their child to an accident or a child being paralyzed for life because of a trampoline, bicycle or other fun activity but kids will be kids and we just need to make sure there all as safe as possible before we let them play, wearing the proper safety equipment is always a plus too.
Where I grew up, they were everywhere. We were on them all the time. We knew people could get hurt, and sometimes people did. I never even heard about any serious injuries though.
It's like helmets on bicycles folks, overkill. Soon people will wear them while walking because you just never know !!!
Truth be said, Monsanto products are much more dangerous to our children than pretty much anything. They genetically infuse known cancer causing agents and foreign plant and animal lifes DNA into corn which feeds all feed animals, and is in virtually everything we eat.
If we only had a helmet for that !
Is there anything safe enough for a kid to play with? I bet bicycles are much more dangerous than trampolines and every kid has one.
Oh, the crazy accidents that I had from falling off my bike!!!
So long a you follow some basic safety rules, like only one person on the trampoline at a time, I do not see them as being any more dangerous than a lot of other childhood activities. When I see statements like the following from the end of the article I just cringe:
While you do not want to see any child get hurt, injuries are part of growing up. You hope that none of them will be severe or cause any permanent damage, but an active kid is more than likely going to get hurt once in a while. If you restrict what your kids can do to the point that they are never in danger of getting hurt you will never allow your kids to do anything. I mean kids get hurt every day falling while riding their bicycles!!! If you are trying to keep your kids completely safe you can forget about them ever playing any sports growing up. Virtually every sport has a certain degree of risk of injury associated with it. Even the most mundane sports like say badminton has it's risks. I mean you could twist your ankle or fall going for a shot and sprain your wrist, or ... There is no way to keep kids completely safe and to attempt to do so in not only absurd but will likely result in your raising a very physically unhealthy, not to mention psychologically screwed up kid. Getting hurt is part of growing up, you just hope that the injuries stay minor and don not cause any permanent damage. You can only protect your kids so much while still allowing them to be kids!!!
JS I totally agree with you. I swear America is turning into a baby state when it comes to living. Everything we do is dangerous for us and everything our kids do is dangerous for them according to doctors, the government and so on.... Life is too damn short to worry about every little thing it's best to live life to it's fullest.
The way we should keep our kids safe is to make them stay indoors and play only video games. They can't get hurt when they're just sitting in front of a TV becoming fat little porkers. Now, our chubby balls of joy might need stents before finishing college, but at least they're safe growing up!
Its no wonder I ran thinks it is safe to threaten to go to with us.
I had a lot of fun playing on a trampoline growing up. We were on it one at a time. We were told, even though we knew it as obvious, not to use a trampoline to launch ourselves off it like a slingshot. Duh. More than one kid at a time? Nope, unless we wanted to lose our privilege to play on it. Pretty straight-forward, even for a 9-year old.
I agree with some of the above posts. We live in a nanny-state where it's not safe for us or our kids to do anything physical. I was injured more times more severely on a bike than I ever even came close to on a trampoline.
But, if we follow the nanny-docs and government do-gooders, we are left plopping our kids in front of a TV playing games or watching mindless animated garbage. Oh, wait, that's not good for them either because they get obese and start turning into diabetics and coronary cases by age 10.
What's left? A helmet and Kevlar body armor to take a walk? No can do there, either, because all that body armor will cause heat stroke.
The things safe for a kid to do provide little physical activity. Without it, the kid gets to grow up with no skills of visualizing, evaluating, and making decisions about how to safely do anything. I meet young adults every day who can only "thumbshovel" their phones and talk in the air.
The first three, we would not let them have a trampoline. The fourth, I decided to watch and warn until he had some skills. During his teen years, I bought 5 14 foot units, used the warranty on two extra nets and 3 extra sets of springs. He could bounce the net to the ground and go about 12 plus feet in the air. He went to college and is a tv news guy today, skinny as a rail. Whatever....
During the Olympics, they had the trampoline event. Some of the things they did were amazing and you know kids see that and think that that has to be one of the most fun 'sports' out there. But then, those trampolines were much bigger then the ones you normally would buy. Plus they have about ten feet of foam safety mats under and around them.
Okay.. 100,000 injuries in 2009... Out of how many kids who played on the trampoline? I think that a percentile is a better indicator of the severity of the problem. Also, I'd like to know the severity of these 100,000 injuries. What is the range here? Scraped knees, broken bones, or what?
I dislike incomplete information like this.. it's too easy to inflate statistics or spin them to fit an agenda... and the anecdotal experiences, while adding a personal touch, don't add a damn bit of anything but bias to the story.
Oppss we use to use the trampoline to launch ourselves into the pool... Might not have been our brightest of moments... but damn it was fun!!!... Trying to hold on to the merry go round was my fav... while your friends were being thrown off <good times... good times>
I also wonder how many of those parents over reacted running to the ER for something that wasn't really necessary. Seems everyone's off to the ER for what turns out to be nothing in reality. My kids have had a trampoline for 14 years and we've never had an injury or one to bounce off. A little common sense and supervision goes a long way.
Absolutely agree with you all. As the parent of 5 VERY active kids, over the years we have had several bike accidents requiring stitches, a combined 7 broken bones (one while walking & slipped and fell-maybe I shouldn't have allowed her to walk!), and so many sprains, bumps and bruises that I cannot even count. Amazingly enough, not one injury occured in the 7 years we owned our trampoline. Hmmm, perhaps because we applied common sense & rules? only one jumper at a time and no flips! Personally, I just get frustrated when told by "experts" that they know what's best for everyone. Yes, kids get injured on trampolines, but they also get injured while doing lots of other things. That's the chance you take when you have active kids!
Yes, because trampolines are soooo much more dangerous than horses. No one ever gets hurt riding on or around horses. Geez, I guess we better baby proof the world.
BTW - I had both a trampoline and horses while growing up and somehow I managed to make it to adulthood without any major injuries. I also had bikes, skateboards, snowboards, and a slew of other "dangerous" items. I was also rated in the top 10% of my class in a physical fitness test in grade school.
JS, it reminds me of that line in Finding Nemo where the dad says he promised he'd never let anything happen to his son, and the other fish exclaims how terrible that is - you have to let things happen to experience life. Certainly I wouldn't ever want to see a child seriously injured, but heck my daughter almost broke her jaw last week when her bike crashed. Being injured is a risk of living.
This article kind of reminds me of the episode of New Adventures of Old Christine where she was all paranoid that her son was going to get hurt riding his bike so she made him where a bunch of pads all over his body and then she was driving down the road, talking and not paying attention, and she hit him with her car.
My brother had more than one accident on his bike. You know why you never ride down that really steep hill? Trees. Lost both front teeth.
How bout the rule where you always wear shoes when riding a bike? Shredded his toes one summer trying to catch the ice cream man. Rules? Who needs em?
On my Dad's 10th birthday he got a shotgun.
The difference between then and now is how accountability is taught in school. Back then, you were taught that you were accountable to God for your actions.
I was wondering the same as WarBeast above. I was actually looking for that information as I was reading because it was the very first thought in my head as I saw the "100,000 injuries".
I can't count the number of times I've had calls from parents asking if my kids (3 of 'em) can play on trampolines, go in their pool, ride a horse...then the calls when someone gets hurt. NONE of those calls were about trampolines. Maybe we were lucky with parents that actually supervised, or maybe we were just lucky.
As far as the video games- I've known more children that have had "carpal tunnel" surgery from massive overuse of game controllers and texting than serious injuries on a trampoline.
Trampoline Injury Facts
According to the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), 246,875 medically treated trampoline injuries occur annually in the U.S. Of this total, 186,405 of these injuries occurred among children aged 14 or younger.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) hospital emergency room-treated trampoline injuries almost tripled in the last decade - from an estimated 37,500 in 1991 to almost 100,000 in 1999.
The commission has received reports of 11 deaths relating to trampoline use from 1990 to 1999. Those victims ranged in age from 3 to 43. Six were between the ages of 12 and 19.
Falls off the trampoline often resulted in crippling injury and/or death including paralysis from spinal cord injury. Somersaults and coming into contact with other persons on the trampoline's surface likewise resulted in many serious and crippling injuries as well as death.
Nearly two-thirds of trampoline injury victims were children 6 to 14 years of age.
About 15% of trampoline injuries involved young children under 6 years old.
In 1999, injuries to the leg/foot were reported most frequently, accounting for 40% of the total. Injuries to the arm/hand accounted for 29% of the total, head/face/neck accounted for 20%, and shoulder/trunk were associated 10% of the total.
Approximately 4% of all trampoline emergency-room treated injuries result in hospitalization.
Most trips to the emergency room are the result of jumpers colliding with one another, falling on the trampoline springs or frame, falling or jumping off the trampoline, or attempting somersaults and stunts.
when I was a kid, we used to jump on the tramp all the time. And no, I don't mean a homeless person, that was later in life. But on the trampoline, we used to pile on a whole group of us, including a pit bull terrier, and we used rifles to shoot things out of each others' hands while bouncing while some would swing sharp sticks to try to dislodge the gun from the shooter. It was a riot! And more than half of us survived.
lol i let my brother shoot an apple off of my head when i was 10 with bow and arrow!
lucky for me he was good shot lol
I recall playing volleyball in high school. One kid jumped to spike the ball. It sounded like a pistol shot when he landed on the gym floor and broke his ankle.
joe s ... I can relate. My older brother and I played with any and everything dangerous or adventuresome, even gunpowder and dynamite fuse - though I have no idea why the local sporting goods store carried that. We made our own bows and arrows from green branches, rode bikes all over the place, jumped off roofs just to see if we could and explored creepy sewers. But then, we were freewheelin' Baby Boomers kicked out of the house at dawn and not let back in until dusk. The cool kid device then was a go kart. Trampolines were okay. When the first skateboards came out, I was first in line, and that was when the wheels were still metal (shudder now just thinking of going down 90 degree bumpy streets on that primitive thing). Other than the time I was injured at school in PE, neither of us ever broke anything, despite giving it our best effort. We had sprains and stepped on a lot of nails and glass and cut open a hand or two, but nothing that required surgery or a cast.
As long as kids are somewhat careful and there are safety nets, I don't think it's more dangerous than other activites.
Generally, the more fun it is, the more careful people need to be. But what's life without fun?
I personally think that they need to be made less bouncy. There is a giant "bubble" that has trampoline like effect to it at a park our family frequents and the highest I can get myself is only about 3 feet. It's much safer than bouncing 10 or more feet high!
If my kid could bounce 10 feet high, he would be in the Olympics.
I disagree with the safety nets not helping. We've had a trampoline for about 4 years, and I've seen more than once where it kept a child from rocketing off when they misjudged their jump, or kept a child from breaking an arm/wrist on the frame by keeping them from it.
i bought a trampoline for my son's 20 years ago. long before you could go to the local walmart and get one.
my son's have jumped many happy, healthy, long hours on that trampoline and never, ever, did they get injured.
only an idiot would not realize the potential for injury on one of these marvels of fun. we had our rules and the boys understood them.
my son's are now all in their 20's and they still love the thing.
you want children to get more exercise and be more active, and yet here is a perfect way to keep them busy and happy and all of a sudden it's a deadly activity.
let's see, what else is there that is considered a toy and something to keep children busy?:
bikes, roller skates, wii, video games, tv, skate boards, scooters, swimming, football, baseball,soccer shall i go on? every single one of these activities comes with it's own set of injuries, deaths, etc. in different forms.
i wonder, compared to all those activities how the injury rates stack up? how many deaths per sport or activity? i sincerely doubt that trampolines are any more or less dangerous than any of the above listed activities.
i can think of a lot more dangerous things kids do these days than hang out in the back yard and jump.
I got my kids a trampoline, and then read the warnings on the box! I'm glad I did because I didn't realize what a danger it could be. So, I made a few rules.
I let two kids jump at a time (this is before they became teenagers). That's jumping only, no tricks.
If anyone wanted to do flips or other tricks, another person could be on the trampoline, but they had to sit on the side.
No one was allowed to use the trampoline - ever- without parental supervision. My kids and the neighbors knew not to get on the trampoline if I wasn't home to watch.
The trampoline is excellent exercise and a fun group activity. As long as it's used safely, under parental supervision, it's no more dangerous than bikes or skateboards. Probably less dangerous. We had our trampoline for about 10 years and no one ever got hurt.
They could redesign those things so there are bungee cords keeping the jumper in place and slowing down things, also makes doing tricks easier. They have stuff like that at a local resort, with the bungee cords. Also, could place trampolines at the bottom of a well, so the sides of the well keep any kids from launching away from the trampoline. Also 6 shock absorbers attached to the bouncing surface to make it less bouncy and an educational unit in the school teaching kids that jumping on the grass is an alternative to trampoline use. Also, for trampolines, make a trampoline suit which is inflatable cushioning, along with a football helmet and groin protector. Finally, trampolines should not be used by jumping vertically, rather the child should lay down and bounce gently using a pelvic thrust motion.
Win win, exactly, its called being responsible.
I had a trampoline for my whole childhood.
But it wasn't a circle, it was a one-size-under-olympic rectangle, and only two people were allowed on at once, it had much thicker padding.
In other breaking news, being alive and leaving bed were also found to be dangerous to children.
They can be unsafe and kids should never be allowed to jump without an adult supervising directly (2 or more preferred).
For sure I have witnessed broken backs, legs, arms and more and most of the time it's from kids edging the other kids into doing something dangerous (& new) or trying to send others flying by 'rebounding' them off their 'bounce'.
But if your determined to have one then at least put it in the ground so that the mat is level with your yard and that at least it minimizes the distance in a fall (by about 2.5 feet which can be critical--especially for older kids). And use the net WITH the top net (which is intended to shield from sun) but which prevents the kids from jumping over 7 to 8 feet high (their heads, not their feet).
Of course, it wont do anything to protect against landing badly on the padded bars or springs or awkwardly in the event you fly up and off onto the grass (presumably no one is stupid enough to put on on a driveway).
But almost anything kids do have risks. ATV's, Bikes, skateboards, skiing, skating, jet skiing, etc. and we certainly can't make life too boring or it will just backfire (kids will find a way to entertain themselves--maybe stupidly). But my gut feeling is that most of the injuries that occur happen when adults are not around to supervise them--either absent or just lazy bad parents.
I guess the best thing for kids is stay in doors and play video games in their rooms. Well, that solves the medical injuries. Home school them and prevent them from having friends or socializing. At eighteen, kick them out of your house. Brag to other parents your child never got hurt or were trouble for you while you raised them. That they are adults now and your no longer responsible of them.
Who knows if every parent did this. The old Doc would say your destroying your child and should allow out side activities and socializing with other kids.
The truth folks, it's a wonder we survived our childhood. All part of being a kid.
When I was in middle school and used a trampoline in gym class, it was required that it be surrounded by students at arms length apart prepared to push back onto the trampoline any student bouncing off. Seemed reasonable to me then; seems reasonable to me now. The first time I tried a flip I went straight up, came straight down on my head and could feel the bones in my neck compress; I thought I was paralyzed. When it was determined there was no injury, I was encouraged to continue bouncing to reduce any fears, but let me assure you this is a DANGEROUS piece of equipment...since so far those responding think they know more than doctors who treat injured children often.
We had the same rules, but one of my spotters decided something else was more interesting to watch.
I came down with my head between two supporting springs, flipped over and landed on his shoulders as my head popped out from between the springs.
A bit to either side or a bit different angle or momentum and I would have completely snapped my neck.
No way those things are safe for children.
I can remember the same problems when I was in Middle School-and we always had spotters. When our kids were young we looked at getting a trampoline as "everyone" had one and they were fun but remembering the injuries just from gym class we were nervous. At the time (and still today) we had an above ground swimming pool--we asked our insurance agent about trampolines vs pools. They would not insure the trampoline. Our pool--no problem. That was the deal breaker---no insurance and knowing kids can and will get some serious injuries on the trampoline---we stayed away. It was not long after that one of our kids did get hurt at a friends house on a trampoline---since then most of our friends got rid of theirs. Its a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Of course jumping on a trampoline is dangerous. No one is implying it's not.
If you are randomly bouncing around you can get hurt. If a parent is watching to make sure you follow the rules one is less likely to be hurt. Just like anything else.
no one is saying they disagree with the facts, they disagree with the conclusions. I too suffered a spinal injury and i have lost about 30% of the use of my right leg- from a sport injury. would I recommend it- no but would i tell people to avoid horses over it- nope. it was a risk I was well aware of and I drew a bad hand in life.
Advice from doctors will do little to convince the dedicated people to avoid having a backyard trampoline.
The insurance underwriters can have a much stronger effect. If all the homeowner's insurance writers flat out refuse to insure properties with trampolines (and immediately cancel the policy of anyone who adds one after a policy is in force), many people would avoid the risk. Who would want a trampoline if they knew it would require a triple-rate high risk policy?
oh noes! something that *may* harm your precious little snowflake! Quick, outlaw them!
One has to wonder how any of us ever made it to adulthood. We rode in the backs of pickups, no seat belts, both of my parents smoked, we had a trampoline, bikes (which we rode all the time with no helmets), we played baseball, basketball, all with no helmets or pads.
I just wonder how any of us lived to have kids of our own?
Let's face it, life is dangerous. The moment you are born, you begin dying. It's not the length of life, it's the quality that counts. Yes, parents should watch their kids, parents should extol their kids to be safe. But it's a dangerous world. Keeping your kids in a bubble to protect them isn't really protecting them at all. Eventually they will have to leave the bubble. Unless parents let their kids learn while growing up, they will not grow up to be responsible adults.
A lot more kids then didn't live. Which of course is why you can post here and they can't.
Of course life is dangerous, and of course kids need to learn how to experience life, but that's why parents have an obligation to set relatively safe parameters.
Just because we are all dying doesn't mean we need to accelerate it with some jarts.
DSB... we had a go cart my dad built outta old lumber and a lawn mower :) it hit like 10mph we didn't wear seat belts or helmets... but damn it was fun!!
dsb: We rode in the backs of pickups, no seat belts, both of my parents smoked, we had a trampoline, bikes (which we rode all the time with no helmets), we played baseball, basketball, all with no helmets or pads.
And to which of these practices are you advocating we return? As a rehab nurse who misses the good ol' days, I say we go back to the seatbeltless days. Daggone, but I miss all those brain-injury and spinal cord injury guys. And riding in the back of the pick-ups with the dogs was fun! But now I know better. And now parents who thought that trampolines aren't high risk know better, too.
What a bunch of wimps! Let's take away anything that is fun and even a little bit risky.
How did I survive childhood without these chicken sheets to watch over me?
I had fun!
Many of your peers lost eyes from BB guns.
Luck.
Boom Reason. Do you actually know anyone who lost an eye to a BB gun? Never seen it myself. I grew up in the 50's where every boy got one and girls weren't allowed. All the boys took gun courses as soon as they were old enough so they could have 22's and go on to 30/30's. No one was shot, killed or maimed. They all took the gun courses and respected their fire arms. Respected the rules. Where? Seattle Washington. Crazy huh?
Yes I do.
I suppose you feel like you've seen everything there is to see?
Republicans would say, the market will decide if a trampoline is safe. The more deaths and injuries, people will shy away from them and manufacturers will go bankrupt. Hmmm, 30 years on now and people are still using trampolines and getting hurt. But NO, it would be terrible to make manufacturers implement better safety features on them. That would be government interference. So, lets let kids keep getting paralyzed so "the market" can be unencumbered.
Ah! We're playing a game of "add a political stereotype to something random"?
Dang, I wanted to pick Republican. Heck, you didn't even knock 'em bad; you really went light. So many missed opportunities to bash Republicans using stereotypes.
I guess that leaves me Democrats.
Here goes:
Democrats would say that we should tax trampolines, to ensure that we can pay for welfare and free healthcare for all (and don't forget about those expensive death panels!).
Not only that, but Democrats would say that there needs to be regulation on proper usage of trampolines! Each person would need to study and report to the DTB (Department of Trampoline Bouncies) for a written exam, a vision test, background check (no felons allowed to use trampolines, since they are deadly weapons -- what're they going to do, vote those Democrats out? They can't vote!), and trampoline usage test. The usage test would include proper entrance/exit, jumping techniques, as well as proper landing. These tests, and everyone else working at the DTB, would be union workers prone to striking so that they could drain the taxpayers wallets and otherwise be deadbeat workers who cannot be fired, even when they don't do their jobs (since they like to smoke weed in their break-room).
Additionally, each person using a trampoline would be required to wear safety gear -- helmets, elbow pads, knee pads, and bubble wrap, with 50 yards of padding surrounding the trampoline. Drinking and jumping is strictly prohibited, with minimum 20 day jail time. Unioned police officers would frequently set up roving checkpoints, and give a breathalyzer test to all trampoline users in the targeted neighborhood, so that they did not need to handle real crime.
Of course, each trampoline would be required by 2016 to be made out of solid cloud which would make trampoline prices necessarily skyrocket to European trampoline levels. Subsidies would be extended to people on welfare.
Finally, Al Gore will make a movie about how unsafe trampolines are making the world really, really, hot and how this is making waters rise in Tibet, threatening the native endangered species such as the polar bear. Of course, we all know that Al Gore owns a giant unsafe trampoline, so he can be ignored as a hypocrite.
--
Okay. Next person gets the Nazi Party! Nobody ever gets the Communist Party, since they're too simple (everybody gets a trampoline, and that's pretty much it).
LMFAO! I needed that giggle on a monday morning.
But seriously, trampolines are no more or less risky than skateboarding or ripstiking (which is actually pretty dangerous, I know an adult who DIED!) but it also has health BENEFITS if done safely. The bouncing action stimulates bone growth and increases bone density. The lymphatic system gets a boost from the rebounding, and well drained lymph system reduces illness and even prevents some types of cancer.
Not to mention the workout! It give the heart a good run for it's money and works major muscle groups - can't tell you how "jellied" my legs feel after only 15 minutes on the thing!!
So ya, there are risks, but at least there are also significant benefits to balance it out - the same can not be said for biking or boarding!
(I wish I could remember where I first read about the lymphatic system / cancer link but I know it's touched on in several health books; incl, Fit for Life)
Speaking as someone who can't stand the right, that's pretty weak.
How do I go about getting a job in said department?
I didn't realize the Nazis were even running candidates in the u.s. A nazi politician would not allow trampolines. "Ve must have ORDER! Your bouncing ist out of ORDER!" And then, suddenly there would be news reports of massive violence against trampolines perpetrated by unknown groups, and next thing you know, the jews are blamed for this and put in gas chambers.
Exactly how many kids have been paralyzed due to trampolines?
As opposed to- bicycles,skiing,snowboards,surfboards,skateboards,rollerblades,ice skating,BMX type bikes,water skiing,other towable crap pulled behind boats,jet skis,diving,and other activities?
The number is very,very small,just because a small percentage of people are injured does not mean an activity,or product should be outlawed,or restricted-if that was true-cars would have been banned long ago.
People walking while texting fall off of curbs,into fountains,down stairs,etc. Should we ban texting? Require safety gear while texting?
Come on-this is absurd-common sense from the parents would prevent 99% of the injuries.
Notice that of all emergency room visits-only 4% even resulted in hospital admission-out of that 4% how many went home the next day-with no lasting injury?
Actually, if you look at the statistical information provided above by dear Xina, you'll see that most of the kids getting the crippling injuries were between 12 and 19 years - clearly old enough to know better - and according to the same report, they were incurred when the kids were doing the very things that the trampoline manufacturers say NOT to do: jumping in groups, doing tricks, flips, and trying to bounce each other off.
It is just the same as any other activity. If you disobey the rules, you get hurt. There are rules for a reason, and when you choose to ignore them (parent, child, teen, adult, whatever) you risk the consequences.
There doesn't need to be a ban, there needs to be accountability. Stop blaming the trampoline because you were so irresponsible as to leave the kids unattended while you went inside to do the dishes or fool around on the internet, and they got hurt because there was no one to enforce the rules. Or worse yet, because the "responsible adult" was in the thick of it being an idiot!
There is a ton of safety gear out there, and a ton of safety advice the people CHOOSE not to follow. But the second they, their kids, or their neighbor's kids get hurt, they're suing the manufacturer. Forget personal accountability. That's a business. Business have tons of money! GET ME A LAWYER!!
As a dentist, I see 3-4 children a year who have either knocked out 1 or more teeth or damaged them to the point they need to be extracted or need root canals. And it's not from falling off of the trampoline, it's from a taking a knee to the mouth.
I can't believe those little brats snitched on me!
My son did that a park - no trampoline.
And how many children have you treated for example biking accidents ?
Fredik, that wouldn't be a fair comparison since far more children ride bikes than play on trampolines. I would bet that the RATE of injury is much higher with trampolines.
same as any other activity doc, dds...running and fallen, sports, etc..
but keep pushing flouride on kids..it is a neurotoxic that does not make the
teeth stronger. Good work..
I would like to see the little tikes brand woodchipper discontinued. That's not safe.
Oh, my goodness gracious. The 'doctors' say it's dangerous, and thus, we must take it all away, immediately! Ridiculous. When I was ten years old, I was 'bounced' off a trampoline, broke my left wrist. It never did heal right. But do you know what? That. Did. NOT. Stop. Me! I got right back on the trampoline as soon as my wrist healed up enough. And if anyone ever tries to say "Oh, you should stay off them, and keep your kids off them, too!" I will say "Don't you dare tell me what to do." My children will have one of these, when they are old enough.
People today are far too wimpy. Learn to live a little! Have fun! Either that... or isolate yourself in video games all day... and become a stagnant, useless nobody.
I grew up for the most part in the 80's. I was born in the mid 70's. My Dads 62 Chev didn't have seat belts, I rode a Freestyle BMX and never once wore a helmet. Heck I even rode on the back of my Dad's motorcycle without a helmet. When I was 16 the first thing I did was took my car out to the flats and ran it up to 120mph. I used to by Coke in the 64oz Super Big Gulps. Heck we even had gasp Real Guns to play with. Guess what I lived and all of my friends lived. Only a few passed away from car accidents and at the time they were not speeding or doing anything wrong. I hate society today and all the "safety laws" that are made to control us. My wife went out and bought our 2 year old a small trampoline for the front room of our house. Its only about 3ft across but more than big enough for her to play on. I think most laws that were passed to protect a person's safety and take away their freedom to choose, should be repealed. That goes for Helmets, Seat Belts and even most Drug Laws. If all the druggies had free access to say Heroin, it would be A. Cheap and B. they would have overdosed and be dead by now. Ok Ok, that last line was a bit out of line and I apologize to those people with friends or family members fighting addiction. However you get my point right? If your Grand Parents were alive today to see just how Crazy this world was they would probably try to smack some sense into somebody. Oh Wait, they would get sued for it. If you want to protect your kids, then fine, please do, but the kids to scared to do anything are not going to be the successful ones. I want my daughter to love life, have fun and when she is older have the guts to take life by the horns and be the best person she can be. Is there risk yes, but I take a risk every time I get in my car, every time I am on a race track driving at 100mph. I would not call it a life, at all if you spend it hiding from every possible danger. P.S. I would rather have my daughter in the back yard when she gets hurt, then 5 miles away on her Bicycle and not be able to be there. I am more worried about child abusers than trampolines. Side note, I wish they made it legal to hunt and shoot child molesters. Sorry for the Long Rant.
I completely agree with you 100%. We spend SOOO much money fighting a failed war on drugs. Think of how much of tax payers money we could save by not having to house non-violent drug offenders? If they want to use drugs than they are going to use them, no matter what the consequences are. And they really aren't hurting anyone in the process. Oh I know, I know, 'They are hurting their families.' Or 'the only ones who get hurt are their kids.' And that could be true but the real reason why the kids get hurt is because they loose their mom od dad when they go off to prison.
Yes, families can be affected by drug abuse but the fact is sending them to prison doesn't help ANYONE. I mean the addict is going to use anyways reguardless of what kind of laws are out there so it's pointless and baseless to reason that your only helping the family or the kids by sending that parent to jail or prison, the laws ain't gonna stop a drug user no matter how harsh you make the punishment.
If we just took 1/10 the money we spend on arresting, prosecuting and then jailing drug offenders and used that money as treatment (for those that want it) and prevention for kids this world would be a lot happier of a place. Make it so that if your a drug addict and wont go to treatment to get sober (because this is America and we should HAVE the right to be drug addict if WE WANT to be) than you loose the right to raise you children, you'll have to let another family member do that. Most of the drug addicts that I know would get along fine in society if their drug of choice was made legal. The only way it becomes a problem is when the police get involved or the price of the drug is way too high. And by legalizing it you'd make it a heck of a lot cheaper.
Next they'll say what about all the deaths from ODing? Well, people are going to OD whether we legalize it or not bit IMO if the govt. regulated the purity of heroin the chances of a drug over dose would be slim to none. The way most OD's happen is by someone getting a "hot-dose" or a dose thats alot more purer than you think it is. I guarantee that legalizing drugs will save MORE lives than before when it was illegal. Sorry DEA, just the facts...
I fell down the stairs when I was 1... (okay my brother pushed me) broke my arm... I guess no more stairs in the home!
Some of you don't distinguish between reasonable and unreasonable risk. Neither do you distinguish between risk taken by a child vs. adult. Children are not necessarily capable of assessing risks accurately. So let adults only use the trampoline, then its fine. Unreasonable risk is where the risk is greatly outweighed by any potential benefit. Instead of bouncing on a trampoline to have fun, which is highly risky, why not do origami crafts which is just as exciting with only moderate risk of papercut?
This is why there are television shows like Americas Funniest Home Videos! It makes for GREAT entertainment plus you can win some money!
I know I will NEVER allow a trampoline in my yard, ever. And I also will not let my daughters jump on one, and they both know it. When I was 9 years old I went over to friends house where they JUST bought a brand new trampoline earlier that week. It was a really big one too (not sure on the exact size but it was and still is the biggest one I've ever seen in someones yard) that all the neighborhood kids wanted to come and jump on it. So when I went there that day to jump there was about 6 or7 kids from the area already there jumping. One of the girls there was able to do back and front flips and we all thought that was so cool. We were all jumping on it at the same time watching this girl do her flips and I guess so was the kid who lived next door cause he ended up coming over after seeing the girl do her flips.
I still remember seeing him walking over telling us he can do a back flip on this trampoline too. He was 12 years old and bigger and older than the rest of us so when he told us to get off for a second while he tried his flip we listened. He started bouncing trying to get his momentum going and finally when he felt he was bouncing high enough he attempted his back flip. Unlike the girl he didn't even come close, he went backwards and landed right on his head on the trampoline, snapping his neck in an instant. I can still remember hearing the noise he made when he died, it gives me chills to this day thinking of it. He let out his last breath kind of slowly while humming a little bit is the best way I can describe it. He also lost his bladder right there on the trampoline. That stain stayed there for years after that (yup, the parents didn't get rid of it) and everytime I walked past it I remembered seeing the kid die right there. This was back in the 80's before everyone came sue happy so the parents I think never brought a lawsuit against the family with the trampoline, at least I think they didn't.
That was the 1st and last time I've ever been on a trampoline. And as long as I can help it, my daughters will never step foot on one...
That's horrible and traumatic to see a kid die like that. But that was a freak accident. If you were swimming and saw a kid drown, would you never let your kids swim? If you saw a kid get hit by a car on a bike, would you never let your kids ride a bike? If I were in your shoes, I'd be so traumatized I probably wouldn't want my kids to jump on one either. But the truth is, more kids die in car accidents than on trampolines. As long as there is parental supervision, and kids are following safety rules, they are reasonably safe. Not completely safe - no one is ever completely safe. Anywhere.
I wouldn't for one minute encourage you to allow your children on a trampoline, BUT your reasoning is extremely faultly...more kids are seriously hurt on bikes AND in car accidents...I bet you don't forbid your kids from either of those...just sayin'...AND, what this article fails to bring up is what our overweaning has done to our kids...it's made them weak and afraid of their own shadow, which can make them MORE accident prone due to their fright
So, your girls don' have bikes OR ride in cars, I take it, because those two combined account for more serious injuries to kids than trampolines do?
I'm sorry that happened and that you saw it, red:(
My kids aren't weak or afraid of their own shadow. They use their seat belts, don't use trampolines, and are very fit and healthy. How those parents kept that in their yard I have no idea...ugh.
Seeing someone die is very traumatic, no matter what your age, and I'm sorry you had to witness it. I know what it's like because I live in a dangerous stretch of road (it's nicknamed "Dead Man's Curve," and for good reason), and I've had people die while I was talking to them trying to keep them awake until the paramedics arrived. Knowing that you're the last person they saw and that you heard their last words is very...heavy. I stumbled over an arm that was ten feet away from a body. My lawn has been stained for days after some of these accidents.
But I still drive. Nothing we do is 100% safe, and if you avoid everything that can cause death, you'll never leave your house. And even that's not safe. You could get a gas leak, a natural disaster could hit, or you could blow your brains out from sheer boredom.
Maybe I won't live to see 80 or 90, but when it is my time, I'll die knowing that I lived a life full of great experiences. And I'm okay with that.
Ya, something tells me redbundy is pulling your legs, guys. I doubt that story is even true. The tip off is the comment about the stain that remained there, lol. If you're going to make up a story, stop while you're ahead. I actually believed it until your last few sentences.
its called the "death rattle". Everybody makes that noise after they die. And everybody loses their bowels and bladder at death too. Even when you die peacefully in your sleep. What you witness was a horrible, tragic accident no doubt. Especially for a child to witness the death of another child. Not to put fault on the dead child, but it sounds like he was trying to show off and failed. And this tragic accident couklld have been prevented with 3 simple rules: 1. adult supervision (cuts way down on the kid showboating) 2. 1 person on the trampoline at a time and 3. no flips or tricks.
I grew up and still live in the south. About half the houses with kids have tramppolines around here. We've had these 3 basic rules as common protocol since I was growing up in the 80's, with variation by house. The most serious injury I've ever personally known anyone to get is a broken arm. I've never even known someone who knew someone who suffered permaent injury or death. Considering our high rate of trampoline use you'd think it'd be impossible for this to be true, based on the implications of this article.
I'm with them on the false sense of security of the nets though. I've always thought they just add more risk if anything. I don't see how adding more metal poles could possibly make things safer. Most people I know don't have the nets, and of course when I was a kid nobody did.
Jenn, not to be too morbid.. but not everyone loses their bowels immediately it can take hours and alot of the time it doesn't happen prior to the mortician cleaning out... and some people move hours after pronounced dead.
no trampoline, but you will fees your kids milk, McDonalds, soda and medicate and vaccinate..
yes your kids are now SAFE!
OK kids, jump up and down over there in the grass. It's not QUITE as fun as a trampoline, but you feel SAFER.......don't you?
It's a wonder any of us survived our childhoods. EVERYTHING is dangerous!
knee wear and tear would be horrible, sorry too dangerous
More experts telling us 'we have no common sense'. Blah, blah, blah.
I want to know HOW MUCH TAX REVENUE WAS USED ON THIS STUDY???
"Get lots of exercise kids because 2M per year of you will die or be crippled for your short life from lack of physical activity--but don't have any fun doing it because fun tends to include risk." Kids need to play and to fall down and even get a bit hurt sometimes. I sympathize with the motherly impulse to spare them any danger but your doing them a huge disservice to keep them from every single risk. Diabetes and obesity are far bigger killers today, and kids need to learn to respect the laws of nature by crashing their bike long before they drive a car.
Is it just me or does anyone else notice the correlation between all these childhood activities suddenly being unsafe and the rise in childhood obesity?
I wasn't a fat kid and back then trampolines were still just in circuses with the professionals. They are death traps - none of my kids would get one.
Hyperbole is the best thing ever. Unless you want to be taken seriously. Then hyperbole is the worst thing ever.
They are NOT death traps. You know they make netting to put around the trampoline right, and it's pretty good quality.
Also, I've jumped on trampolines that have the netting, AND ones that don't. NEVER got hurt, once.
If you follow general safety rules, and supervise your children, then they are NOT death traps, JoMan.
trampolines like any sport are what you make of it. I've grown up with them. yes there are accidents but it always is friends who come over and not follow the rules. I can think of 3 accidents that happened in my backyard on a trampoline aside from when my brothers used it as a wrestling mat and would intentionally push each other off (the worst there was scrapes and bruises). 1 broken arm (after the kid was told repetetively to get off or he might get hurt as there were too many on and it wasn't his turn) and 2 ankle sprains (both older kid with younger kid and it was the younger kid that got hurt). I've got 4 brothers who were always being rough with everything they did. aside from the trampoline I've seen stitches (from hockey sticks, bikes, and golf clubs) concussions (again hockey sticks and golf clubs), missing teeth (hockey stick), broken arm (falling off a mattress on the floor), trip to ER for ?broken neck(he was fine - riding bike), etc. and thats not even including the almost injuries from climbing trees, taking bikes over ramps, and whatever crazy things my brothers would come up with. in our community there are at least 2 ppl with serious paralysis injuries from hockey... should we ban that too. for my family it was the trampoline that was the safest so should we be banned from the rest of sports?????????
my friends had a trampoline and ppl would get hurt on it regularly. the reason - it was a freeforall wiht 6-7 kids on at a time and no rules....
simple rules we had - no more than 2 on at a time. no little kids with big kids (the rule wasn't followed by ppl that came over obviously), no flips of stunts like that for the first year we had teh trampoline(until we got the feel for it and how it reacted).
I was a gymnastic instructor and would never allow my child to jump on the neighbors. My stepson grew up real fast when a bunch of his friends were on one when they weren't supposed to be and his friend landed on his neck. Everybody kept jumping and laughing thinking he was just faking until he started foaming at the mouth. He was paralyzed and is still a quadrapelegic to this day. Any parent who provides this piece of gymnastic equipment as a plaything is an idiot who should not be allowed to raise children. In gymnastics classes only one is allowed at a time and instructor spotters are used for beginning flips and cable spotters are used for more advanced tricks until proficiency is proven. If you have one in your backyard you deserve every and any lawsuit that comes your way.
When I took business law, I learned that the law considers a swimming pool a "nuisance." That means you are liable if someone drowns or is injured in your pool, even if you have a fence, a "keep out" sign, and they were there without your knowledge or permission. I wouldn't doubt that trampolines would be viewed the same way. How many people think to check with their home insurance provider to find out whether trampoline injuries are covered? Many will not cover it or will raise your rates.
Brenda, I think your comment is key. It's not that trampolines are "bad" but that they are not a household toy for general use. That's why there are so many injuries from them.
People on this board are comparing them to bikes and skateboards, both of which can be dangerous. But most kids just ride their bikes; they don't attempt to flip them up in the air or jump over half a dozen barrels. We know that's a specialized skill, and most parents would say that the kid needs to be trained to do it--like car racing. We drive cars, but most of us realize that stunts are not for everyday, untrained folks. Kids who are seriously injured on skateboards or scooters are usually trying to do tricks, not just riding along. But something about trampolines makes people think that anybody can safely do a flip or somersault without any training in gymnastics. People who would never consider trying to do the same thing on the lawn suddenly think it's fine on a trampoline.
Your comment is spot on. These accidents wouldn't happen if people thought about these tricks as something that required training to do.
I don't allow my child to jump on the neighbors, either. They get all pi$$y when he tries to.
;-)
Wow, Brenda, what a nice thing to wish upon the people who actually HAVE safety rules in place for their children and enforce them, who actually supervise their children when playing on the trampoline.
What a wonderful thing to wish upon parents who are responsible about it.
HN-1558401
"When I took business law, I learned that the law considers a swimming pool a "nuisance." That means you are liable if someone drowns or is injured in your pool, even if you have a fence, a "keep out" sign, and they were there without your knowledge or permission"
You need to ask for a refund then-
If I am a homeowner,with a pool,that is fenced according to local zoning laws-and someone goes into my fenced in pool without my knowledge or permission,and is injured or drowns-I am in no way liable.
That applies for a fact in Ohio,also in many other states.
Please keep your children safe! Do not remove them from the plastic bubble!
That is just a stupid remark. You don't have to keep a child in a bubble, but you also don't give a child a piece of equipment that could result in paralysis if they land on their head from a free fall jump. I guess you are one of those parents who could care less if your children get hurt. Long as they don't cry about it when they do. Gotta let your child experience life , even if it kills them, huh.
Really? You think I wouldn't care if my child got hurt?
Everybody dies... Live first.
And I would like my kids to live past their teen years, but thanks anyway. My daughters got on one for 5 minutes and one got hurt. Seriously, who trains for using one? I didn't see they had one in the corner of their yard and she won't be on it again. They are an accident waiting to happen. My daughter and I were taking a neighborhood walk a few years ago and walked by a house with a big trampoline in the back yard. No one was supervising and several kids were taking turns and jumping together. One child went flying off and landed on the hard ground, and he sat up, shook his head, and jumped back on. If he had been hurt worse (he was crying) no one would have known if we hadn't happened by.
Lacy you cannot bubble wrap your children, everything involves a risk for injury... my son at age 8 took a line drive to the head, was in the hospital for 4 days.. he's fine now and still playing baseball, My daughter fell over skip it and busted her teeth about 2wks after flying head over the handle bars of her bike. Cost me a fortune to fix that.
There are so many things in life that can be "dangerous", protect your kids to the best of your ability.. no doctor can tell you what is wrong for ALL kids because all Kids are different... my daughter would trip over her own to feet walking... she wasn't "allowed" on the trampoline (but she knew she was a clutz)... my son is fairly graceful he jumps with no issues (yet)
Lacy, I honestly don't feel strongly either way about this argument, but when you come right down to it, life is killing us all.
I totally agree with Brenda. Trampolines are dangerous and any parent who gets them for their children are very irresponsible. Kids will always take risk and yes they will get hurt, but I just can't see giving them something that has critically hurt so many. That is just stupid. And don't come back that bicycles are dangerous, too. You have a lot more control over a bike than you do when your body is flying through the air and you have no clue where you are going to land.
I am one of the most responsible parents I've ever met, and guess what, my kids have a trampoline....
And many kids die falling off bunk beds. And bike injuries are STILL the most dangerous for kids; even if they wear helmuts! Do your kids have bikes??
http://www.preventinjury.org/PDFs/BICYCLE_INJURY.pdf
"More children ages 5 to 14 are seen in hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to biking than any other sport."
I'm a very responsible parent too, and we had a trampoline. And bikes, unicycles, roller blades, scooters, pogo sticks, stilts, and a pool for a while. You know what else we've always had? A car. Do you know how many people die in car accidents every day?
It's irresponsible for a parent to have all this equipment and not teach their children and neighbor children to use them safely and follow the rules. But it's not irresponsible to own the equipment and use it safely.
In the 10+ years we owned a trampoline, not one kid was ever hurt. And that's because we had rules, and the kids either followed them or they had to get off.
"More children ages 5 to 14 are seen in hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to biking than any other sport."
Yes, but do just as many children play on trampolines as on bicycles? This statistic means nothing in terms of relative safety.
Injuries related to bikes are also less permanent most of the time. My sib is an ER doc and don't even get her started on trampolines...and for fun, in her spare time, she rides a motorcycle and goes ice climbing and swimming with sharks. She's not the sort of person who fusses over kids.
Bike accident are more serious AND prevalent...and, kids ride bikes ON streets, adding greatly to the risk...come on...should be put kids in cotton wool until the go off to college...sitting around on a computer or watching tv will turn their brains to mush, BUT that's fine with all of you
so a parent that buys a trampoline is irresponsible..REALLY ?
how about the parent that buys video games, or let's their kids eat McDonalds and drink soda or milk..or gets them vaccinated..
you are an idiot
Lacy - very uncalled for... that is an opinion..
millions of children jump on trampolines without issue... I do not consider myself irresponsible and my kids have one... we have a pool and bunk beds... not to mention my son plays sports and my duaghter is artistic.. those paper cuts are horrible. My daughter has more injuries from being a clutz than any other... ask her school bus driver who had to help walk her into the nurse because she fell UP the steps.
Thank you, Jenn. You sound like a responsible parent who knows what rules and precautions to follow when their kids are on the trampoline.
Lacy, YOUR problem is that you assume that ALL parents who buy their children a trampoline are irresponsible....WRONG. The only ones who are irresponsible are the ones who do NOT have safety rules, and enforce them and supervise.
You cannot call every parent who owns a trampoline irresponsible, just because there are some who don't know how to supervise/enforce safety rules. I agree with Lyndanne, your comment was uncalled for.
Completely agree with you Jenn. Trampolines can be dangerous, but are not more dangerous than riding bike or playing football. Parents who buy a trampoline for their children should not be called irresponsible, unless they don't read about trampoline safety or discuss it with their children.
Here's an article with trampoline safety tips every parent should read:
I wouldn't jump to conclusions like this. You can bounce around all sorts of unfounded opinions, but that's only a springboard for frivolous lawsuits. These sorts of pseudo-scientific studies tend to stretch credibility, and I certainly wouldn't rubberstamp them into fact.