backyard trampoline?

[Swimalie]

My mother in law has one that her daughter bought and put in her backyard since the grandkids were there more than at home. My mother in law lives in a low-risk, low cost of living area but her home owners insurance is 3 times the cost of ours (we have a larger house but smaller lot, extra riders on stuff and live in a higher cost of living area). She can't figure out why her home owners is so much higher. We keep telling her it's the trampoline but she won't believe us. To me, $1200 a year is not worth the trampoline.

 

[usd2bmd]

I am seeing a lot if posts with people who don't seem sure why they would "go after" a homeowners insurance company after an injury on a trampoline. All homeowners insurance policies have a medical payments clause that pays for medical bills for people injured on their property regardless of liability. It is usually anywhere from $500 to $5000.

Naturally your health insurance only wants to pay if there is nobody else that could be billed.

 

[Freesia123]

I'd only have one if it had the net around it. I'd also want a fence (like a pool) and only let my kids play with supervision. That's the worrywart in me!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Like many other PPs have posted, check with your insurance company. Ours will drop us if we have a trampoline.

My kids have asked for one for years, but we have not gotten one. Besides the insurance issue, my sister broke her ankle on a trampoline and a family in our neighborhood ended up with their trampoline in a tree after a storm. That doesn't mean your kids or their friends would ever be injured, OP, but the risk is definitely there.

 

[TinkOhio]

I wouldn't buy one for my daughter after my nephew suffered a "trampoline break" several summers ago. This type of break happens when there are two or more people bouncing at once. When one person makes contact with the surface and is starting to bounce back up, and another one comes back down, the force of the first person is transferred into the leg of the second person. It is like breaking a twig in half. My nephew's leg between his knee and ankle made a perfect L! The ER doc said that he sees this break all summer long, and they call it a trampoline break.

If you do buy one, please only let one person bounce at a time.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

So OP, now that you've heard both sides, what are you leaning towards doing?

 

[Mama Who]

Just a warning that your homeowners policy may drop you if they find out you have a trampoline.

This. We determined that the insurance hit is simply too expensive. If my kid wants a trampoline we'll go to the local gymnastics place for free play.

 

[Mama Who]

I am seeing a lot if posts with people who don't seem sure why they would "go after" a homeowners insurance company after an injury on a trampoline. All homeowners insurance policies have a medical payments clause that pays for medical bills for people injured on their property regardless of liability. It is usually anywhere from $500 to $5000.

Naturally your health insurance only wants to pay if there is nobody else that could be billed.

Correct. If my kid breaks his arm on your trampoline, my insurance company will go after your insurance company without my involvement. It's not as simple as me just saying, "Oh, I won't sue." Unless I pay out of pocket for all treatment, my medical insurance provider is going to go looking for an at-fault party with deep pockets.

 

[bumbershoot]

Correct. If my kid breaks his arm on your trampoline, my insurance company will go after your insurance company without my involvement. It's not as simple as me just saying, "Oh, I won't sue." Unless I pay out of pocket for all treatment, my medical insurance provider is going to go looking for an at-fault party with deep pockets.

Well, you would be involved in that you have told the doctors or insurance company how it happened and where it happened. That's how they know who to go after.


Like after my son was burned while helping make dinner, we got a letter from our medical insurance company basically asking us if anyone else was at fault. Nope. And DH got a similar letter after one random acupuncture appointment (after several others)...is this from an accident or a fall at work or, basically, from any situation that involves anyone else that we can go after. Nope again.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

I would never own one, but if you are insistent and want to improve a little on the safety, you could "sink" it.

http://taylormadelandscapes.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DSC04365.jpg

 

[JeRmS]

Oh the good ol day's .... how quickly we forget ...

Off the house roof, onto the Trampoline and into the Pool!!!

We had so much fun in the summers with that setup, looking back it's amazing no one ever got hurt doing it!

 

[MrsPete]

My kids had one when they were younger, and we never had any problem with it. Of course, we had it in a fenced back yard so no one ever came and used it without permission. And we enforced rules: Only one jumper at a time, no shoes, no dogs, etc.

No other single toy that my kids had received so much playtime. In addition to jumping, they'd lay out there and read or do their homework. They even slept out there a couple times.

Yes, they do need to be carefully regulated, but they're a great toy.

 

[cheer25mom]

We have one. Homeonwers had no problem with it as it has an enclosure that can be locked and is inside a locked fence that is posted. You would have to break in to get on it without permission. My DD is a competitve cheerleader and and uses it for tumbling practice.

 

[danielle79]

We have had one for years and the kids love it! Some adults I know have had fun on it too! Our insurance is ok with it as long as we have an enclosure. We are definitely not wrap your kids in bubble wrap type of parents, we have a pool, a trampoline, bikes, roller skates, gas powered go-kart, we like the kids to spend time outside and active, no video games all summer vacation long. We grew up not that long ago and no one worried about bike helmets and pool alarms, I think as a society we go a little crazy with this! Letting your kids eat McDonalds regularly and playing Call of Duty I think is way more damaging to our kids!

 

[Disneefun]

Oh the good ol day's .... how quickly we forget ...

Off the house roof, onto the Trampoline and into the Pool!!!

We had so much fun in the summers with that setup, looking back it's amazing no one ever got hurt doing it!

Ah, yes. I grew up on a farm and we had the "Off the barn roof, onto the trampoline, and into the hay pile" variant.

 

[Dizisfun]

Oh the good ol day's .... how quickly we forget ...

Off the house roof, onto the Trampoline and into the Pool!!!

We had so much fun in the summers with that setup, looking back it's amazing no one ever got hurt doing it!

We had gymnastics as part of PE when I was in school Trampoline was part of that class. The PE teachers even taught us to do flips, front and back flips, on the trampoline.

I grew up on a farm and we jumped off the barn roof onto the trampoline too. Fun times.....Shhhhh, don't tell my kids and grandkids. Lol

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

The difference between when we were kids and today, is that today another kid's parents would have no problems suing the pants off of you if their kid got hurt on your trampoline. Even if that kid broke in to your yard and used the trampoline without your permission.

For that reason and the insurance reason we will never get a trampoline. We will go to a trampoline park.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

My aunt and uncle's is sunk ~

 

[2disneyboys]

Op you asked what "I" would do so I can only answer based on circumstances that have influenenced MY life.:

I would not have one for several reasons:
1. When I was 15 I witnessed a friend bouncing on his trampoline (by himself) and he landed wrong and his BONE was poking out of his leg in two places
2. When I was 8 I was in the ER for stitches and in the gurney area across from me there was a little boy that had been jumping and somehow landed in the spring area and the spring was stuck in his leg. the fire dept had to cut the spring loose from the frame and he was transported to the hospital for surgery to remove it. I did't know him well but he went to school with me and I remember he was out of school for over a month before he returned w/ casts/wheelchair.
#3 My sister is an ER nurse and my Brother is a Medic w/ the Fire Dept. Both of them talk about the "trampoline" season of injuries as a regular ongoing event
#04..oh yea.. the insurance and potential law suit thing

#1&#2 above personally tramatized me so I'll never own one and I hate my kids being on one. I have DRILLED safety into thier heads about it, and just hope for the best when I'm not around and they are around a trampoline. We take our boys to the local bounce house or ziplining park and that seems to satisify their need for thrills/bouncing. I also agree w/ other posters to check w/ your insurance agent, as well as your zoning area to make sure you can comply with any & all requirements. Good luck with whatever you deceide. There is no right or wrong answer - just a right answer for YOU.

 

[Jaime4004]

We have had one for years and the kids love it! Some adults I know have had fun on it too! Our insurance is ok with it as long as we have an enclosure. We are definitely not wrap your kids in bubble wrap type of parents, we have a pool, a trampoline, bikes, roller skates, gas powered go-kart, we like the kids to spend time outside and active, no video games all summer vacation long. We grew up not that long ago and no one worried about bike helmets and pool alarms, I think as a society we go a little crazy with this! Letting your kids eat McDonalds regularly and playing Call of Duty I think is way more damaging to our kids!

We moved to a house yrs ago that had an old trampoline that the previous owners left. DD loved it, but it had exposed springs and no netting around it, so we upgraded to a new one. DD's a gymnast and uses it everyday. I always watch her, to make sure she is not attempting flips that are beyond her. Her brothers just bounce around, no flipping allowed for them because they don't know how to do it properly. The rule is only one bouncer at a time, they all follow it or get off. It is great exercise, I only tried it once, that was enough. Every activity has risks, the kids bike riding always makes me more nervous than the trampoline. We have a pool also. There are no kids besides mine in the neighborhood so little chance of someone uninvited using it.