For Ashley, a cautionary tale about trampolines

[CharlesTD]

You fail to consider that while there may be more than 1 bike in any household, we have 7 at my house right now for the 4 of us (all purchased new and have tossed about 3 because we got tired of tires and such with them and have had 3 stolen, these 6 aren't counting the 7 we currently own), there aren't many homes that have more than 1 trampoline. Wanna redo your figures?

Keep in mind, this doesn't count the smaller bikes we bought for the kids when they were younger either. You could probably add another 4 that they outgrew.

Very good point N.Bailey our family of 5 currently has 8 bikes and 1 trampoline and climbers and scooters and motorcycles. So the figures are squed due to the fact there are going top be many households with multiple bicycles in the family.

 

[froglady]

Oh, and where did the figures come from for the statistics for the bikes? I'm pretty sure if they've taken figures from insurance and consumer product safety commissions, my trampoline wouldn't be included in those statistics for them. I have no idea if our bikes would be or not.

Bicycle manufacturers for number of bikes, bicycle safety council for numbers of injuries. As mentioned, it's difficult to get actual numbers from trampoline manufacturers, so it was based on sales from dealers. Injuries were from a national database.

As I mentioned, I'm convinced that the risk from this particular activity outweighs whatever fun my children might get from it. I really don't care if you agree or not; you're free to draw your own conclusions.

BTW, DH has and continues to collect injury statistics from this area, so I have based my opinion on information he has shared with me, including personal experience with injured children.

 

[Marseeya]

For those who question Deb's commitment to this cause rather than another, I don't quite understand what you don't get about it!

She was touched by a horrific accident involving a trampoline. Not a bike, not a pool -- a trampoline. I hesitate to speak for her, but I bet if instead of the trampoline accident, she attended to a child who drowned in a pool with no surrounding fence, she would be just as passionate about that.

If you lose a loved one to breast cancer, are you telling me you wouldn't take that up as your cause as opposed to other forms of cancer?

 

[N.Bailey]

Bicycle manufacturers for number of bikes, bicycle safety council for numbers of injuries. As mentioned, it's difficult to get actual numbers from trampoline manufacturers, so it was based on sales from dealers. Injuries were from a national database.

So, we can conclude that the bike figures are accurate. I doubt the trampoline figures are. My insurance company has never asked if we had one. Wonder why they can't get the figures from the manufacturers too? ODD!

I also wonder how long a period of time we're talking here for those bike figures. We can conclude how long they might be for trampolines simply by the fact of the year they started being sold in the stores. Bikes have MANY decades, over trampolines. Possibly a century even, but I don't feel like the research right now. LOL


BTW Charles, it's nice seeing you on a thread where we agree! Not that it wasn't a pleasure disagreeing with you too though.

 

[MoniqueU]

That and some of the other posts were tough to read. Really makes you think. I had no plans to get a trampoline because I don't have room but I just shudder at some of these stories. Most people think their kids are indestructible though.

 

[CharlesTD]

So, we can conclude that the bike figures are accurate. I doubt the trampoline figures are. My insurance company has never asked if we had one. Wonder why they can't get the figures from the manufacturers too? ODD!

I also wonder how long a period of time we're talking here for those bike figures. We can conclude how long they might be for trampolines simply by the fact of the year they started being sold in the stores. Bikes have MANY decades, over trampolines. Possibly a century even, but I don't feel like the research right now. LOL


BTW Charles, it's nice seeing you on a thread where we agree! Not that it wasn't a pleasure disagreeing with you too though.

See even when people disagree on some things they can agree on other things LOL. We just needed to find the common ground here.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

You rock, Dr. Deb.

I know someone who would be proud of you.

 

[Stitchfan]

One of our students was jumping during class and fell off between the spotters and broke his neck. they settled the lawsuit for a couple of million dollars. He became a paraplegic. QUOTE]

Same thing happened to a boy I went to high school with. He fell off the trampoline, broke his neck and was paralyzed from the neck down. He was captain of the baseball team, a very athletic, good looking and nice all-around kind of guy. It was so sad, his family was absolutely devastated I was in my senior year when it happened and haven't seen him since. As much as I loved trampolines growing up, after that I could never look at them in the same light.

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

Well, thanks for this thread. Until I read it, I had every intention of buying a trampoline next year. Now, I definetely will not. Thank you for sharing Ashley's story.... one parent has certainly changed her mind as I love my kids too much, and I am not going to risk it.

 

[PixieDust32]

Well, sad story,sorry about that.

We had a trampoline for about 6 years until it got old and to the trash, my kids and DH played on it almost every day, never Thank God had an accident.
Our trampoline wasn't close to anything like, rocks, or cement or things of that nature.
I am not saying that the trampoline is a safe thing, however my son broke his arm twice riding his bike, and DD sprained her ankle rolling skating, well she didn't even got a chance to skate, as soon as she got up and walked to the skate ring her leg twisted and that was it for her that night. Kids cannot stop being kids and riding bikes or skating, or in MY case jumping on the trampoline.
Accidents occurred everyday, everywhere.

I can tell you a sad story like Ashley's. A scrapbooker buddie had a little 5 year old boy, and she hardly ever let him ride scooter or skating much less jumped on the trampoline. And one ugly day, she went to picked him up from Dad's house, he was runing towards her and he triped on a small rock,and hit his head, he went into a coma and die weeks later.

 

[swilphil]

Anyway, I make NO apologies. In fact, anytime I see a thread about trampolines (or, as I like to call them, ER-income-generators), I WILL continue to post my numbers on trampoline injuries and recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding the ban of all home trampolines.

Because I made a promise to Ashley's parents.


It was on an early winter evening, now almost 20 years ago, although I remember it as if it were yesterday. I was the senior resident on duty in the Pediatric Intensive Care unit. The ER calls and says that very critcal case was being stabilized and sent up. 5 year old girl, traumatic brain injury. Neurosurgery involved.

And that's how I met Ashley (not her real name). When she got to the ICU, she was already intubated and comatose. Earlier that afternoon, she was outside, playing on her family's trampoline, before the sun went down. She lost her footing, and fell backward off the trampoline, hitting her head on a stone border around a flower bed. Her skull shattered like an eggshell, and her brain was bleeding and swelling uncontrollably. Despite maximal hyperventilation, mannitol, ventricular drains, multiple rounds of epinephine and bicarbonate, we could not keep her alive. Let me assure you folks, this is NOTHING like what you see on TV, on ER. It is horrible, it is the worst thing to be doing everything and anything you can, and see a life just slipping away . . .

I had to tell her shell-shocked parents that their beautiful daughter, who, just 2 hours earlier was energetic and full of life, was dead.

It was an experience I NEVER want to go through again.

After her parents had spent some time by her bedside, the nurse told me that Ashley's dad wanted to say something to me. I went over to them, and he said, "Doctor? Could you do us a favor? Could you please tell everyone how dangerous trampolines can be? Maybe that will save another family from going through what happened to us . . ."

Of course, I said yes.

So I don't really care about all the name-calling and insults that have been slung at me recently. Because I made a promise to Ashley, and to her parents.

And I WILL keep that promise.

Deb, I've heard warnings about trampolines before. It seems like many of the accidents on trampolines are extremely serious, while most (but not all) bike injuries are relatively minor. Thanks for spreading the word.

 

[mrsltg]

Thank you Deb! My parents neighbors have one and I have forbade my parents to allow my daughter on the death-trap while she's visiting them. There are no "ifs, ands, or buts" about it. We will not allow our daughter on one EVER.

Erin

 

[GillieRose]

I agree with you. I watched a dateline special on them a few years ago. I swore I would never let my kids near one. They have been told never to go one. I get nervous everytime a see kids on them esp. when parents have 6 kids on one.

 

[minkydog]

I have to weigh in on this--I feel very strongly against having a backyard trampoline. To me, it is as dangerous as having an unfenced pool--an attractive nuisance, insurance companies call it. My kids begged me for years to get one. The next door neighbors had one and my kids hade to watch them bouncing, bouncing every day. They cried, but i was unmoved.

Here's why: I'm a pediatric critical care nurse. One night i encountered a family with a 10yo boy, semi-consious, restrained to keep him from pulling out his tubes. His father recognized that I am a Christian and begged me to pray for his son. It seems the child had been on a neighbor's trampoline about 2 wks prior. He fell and hit the steel frame on the back of his neck, rolled off & went home. He seemed unharmed for 2 wks. Then, that morning the child complained of a bad headache, cried out and went into a seizure. He had a large blood clot pressing on his brain stem which was a result of the seemingly minor trampoline injury. This poor child, who had been a straight-A student in the 4th grade, was reduced to wearing diapers and fighting for his life. He eventually regained consciousness, but it took 9 long months of in-hospital rehab & surgery to bring him up to speed. And he wasn't the same child afterward.

I will never have a trampoline. My kids will never be allowed to play on someone else's trampoline. I will shout it from the rooftops in hopes that i never have to see that kind of grief on another parent's face as long as I live.

 

[Planogirl]

For those who question Deb's commitment to this cause rather than another, I don't quite understand what you don't get about it!

She was touched by a horrific accident involving a trampoline. Not a bike, not a pool -- a trampoline. I hesitate to speak for her, but I bet if instead of the trampoline accident, she attended to a child who drowned in a pool with no surrounding fence, she would be just as passionate about that.

If you lose a loved one to breast cancer, are you telling me you wouldn't take that up as your cause as opposed to other forms of cancer?

I don't think that anyone is questioning Deb's commitment to this cause. The question IMO is whether the cause has merit in everyday life as opposed to other causes. We all have to weigh the pros and cons of different things in our children's lives and trampoline jumping is just another one. And of course, we all have reason for our concerns.

I have a horrible fear of heights. I've always felt panicky when DS would get close to any drop-off and I've done everything I can to keep him from such places. Even the rock climbing attractions scare me. But that's just one more thing that could cause injury.

Anyway, this subject has been done to death for me.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Does this mean you won't be purchasing a bike for your child either? You do realize there is a better chance of injury on one of those things, don't you? I'm certainly not meaning to pick on you, but why does it matter to some with this toy, but you turn the blind eye for the next one?

Because with a bike my child is not so many feet off of the ground and wearing a helmet.

 

[Feralpeg]

When I purchased my home in Florida and secured insurance, one of the first questions they asked was whether we had a trampoline. They never asked about a pool.

 

[Planogirl]

I'm so surprised that any insurance company wouldn't be interested in a pool. While a trampoline can be put away or is easily disposed of, a pool is a lot more trouble to safeguard IMO.

But then again, our insurance company only asked if we had pets. That seemed weird too. Dh answered that we had two killer cats.