For Ashley, a cautionary tale about trampolines

[ReneeA]

Just curious (this isn't meant to be inflamitory in any way), but all those with tramps in their yard...Does your insurance company know? How did you get homeowners? Is there a premium on the policy? Just curious, because like I said in an earlier post, our agent specifically said that all of the companies that she deals with won't cover you if you have a trampoline. And the one we just signed with does drive by to check.


ReneeA

 

[bajanswife]

I always approach these types of things from a risk/benefit perspective. There are plenty of risks with trampolines, but there may well be benefits - it's just a matter of whether, in each person's estimation, the benefits outweigh the risks. e.g. with bikes - I think most of us would agree that there are many benefits of bike riding, so much so that we are prepared to accept the risks, and simply minimize them where we can without interfering too much with the fun of riding. Same thing with other sports - the fitness, the teamwork, the fun of doing a sport usually makes up for the risks involved.

With trampolines, my personal feeling is that if there's a good reason for your child to be jumping around on one, then learn to use it properly, teach your child how to use it properly, supervise and enforce the rules, protect via net if it seems prudent etc. In other words, use it with an intended purpose in mind, but don't let it just be a "toy" that kids jump on willy nilly for fun. I think trampolines do have their place - I'm just not sure that everyone's backyard is necessarily it. I won't get one because 1) I don't see any great benefits for us at this time, and 2) the risks of it being used inappropriately are too great because I am not really prepared to give the level of instruction and supervision required, nor am I prepared to secure it against use by neighbours.

I support the right for all of us to judge for ourselves, though I wish some parents who DO use allow inappropriate use would STOP! Thinking here of my neighbour who used to not supervise at all, and her son would do stuff like put soap and water on it to make it slippery, and he'd also put the dogs up on it to slide around! (he was 8 at the time).

 

[Toby'sFriend]

don't have one, have told my kids to stay off of them, get angry at parents who tell my kids "oh go ahead, just don't tell your Mom."

I feel the same way about bb guns, paint ball guns, 3 wheelers, 4 wheelers, go carts, and dirt bikes.

 

[padams]

As a former gymnast, I have witnessed many trampoline accidents. Fortunately, they were all minor injuries. However, the injuries occurred in gyms under the supervision of qualified coaches. I doubt most parents with trampolines supervise their use all of the time or even know what is appropriate use and what isn't (no inversions, only person on the tramp at a time, etc.).

As a lawyer, I can say that trampolines are a lawsuit waiting to happen.

DS age 9 is invited to a birthday party next week at a house with a trampoline. The mom wrote on the invitation that the trampoline would be supervised and that no more than 3 children would be allowed to jump at a time. She also wrote that if anyone didn't want their child to participate in the trampoline jumping, to let the parents know. I'll probably have the only child who isn't allowed to use the trampoline. DS isn't happy with my ban on trampolines. It'll be the first of many times, I'm sure, where I am "ruining his life" by trying to save it.

 

[suzannen]

When I was a teenager, the house next door got a trampoline and all the neighborhood kids used to jump on it. We thought we were so lucky! Until the third week when my neighbor fell off and broke his arm and then my brother fell off, hurt his neck and ended up in traction for 6 weeks. His shoulder and neck mobility were permanently damaged. Add me to the list of those that will not allow my DD on a trampoline.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Health24.com

Trampoline dangers
Few playthings for children offer as much delight as trampolines, but the dangers they present should leave parents hopping mad, doctors say.
"The original intention of the trampoline was as a training device for acrobats and gymnasts. But what's happened is, it's become a backyard toy. And that's where things have gone wrong," says Dr Gary Smith, director of the Centre for Injury Research and Policy at Children's Hospital in Ohio.

"It was never intended for that purpose, and because of that it's simply unsafe," Smith says.

"The greatest number of trampoline-related injuries occurs among children ages 14 and younger," says Dr Paul Esposito, an APA spokesman who is an assistant professor in the paediatrics department at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre.

The most common injuries occur when children fall through the openings near the rim of the trampoline, land incorrectly or are thrown off balance by an upwardly moving trampoline mat.

"Arm and leg sprains, strains and fractures are the most common injuries," Esposito says. "However, severe injuries do occur and can result in paralysis or death."

"A child who falls on or off a trampoline will instinctively stretch an arm out to break the fall," he says. "If they land on an arm, they will probably break their elbow or forearm."

Many injuries result from more than one child using the trampoline.

"If the children are not jumping in unison, one could break a leg when the trampoline mat moves forcibly upward," Esposito says. "The smaller and usually younger child typically is the one injured."

Esposito adds that parents who own trampolines should also be concerned about other people's kids. "I think one of the things parents don't realise is the liability they have in having these things in their backyards," he says.

"If you have a pool, you know you have to have a fence around the pool because you can be liable if kids come in and drown," Esposito says. "Likewise, if you have a trampoline in your backyard that acts like a magnet for neighbourhood kids, you have to make sure to have a fence or have it continuously supervised, which is hard."

Adds Smith: "As an emergency medicine physician, I can tell you that every time the parents come in with their injured kid, the same words are said over and over - 'I can't believe this happened, I was standing right there and it happened right in front of my eyes and there was nothing I could do to stop it.' They're just devastated."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CNN.com

"For most kids, that's no deterrent. But, health experts say parents should be concerned. A study published in the journal "Pediatrics" shows the number of trampoline injuries doubled during a six-year period, resulting in more than sixty-thousand visits each year to hospital emergency rooms.

"Unlike other products, the number of injuries due to trampolines is doubling over a very short period of time. That's a dramatic increase and unlike other consumer products," says Dr. Gary Smith of Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "

 

[Nancy]

Yes, I realize the numbers are old. And I would venture to guess that there are more trampolines in use today than in 1998. But there are probably more kids playing soccer today than in '98. And more kids skateboarding....and so on.

What I was getting at, was yes, injuries can happen when kids play on trampolines. But injuries can happen playing ANY SPORT, or ANY ACTIVITY.

I am living proof of that. I broke my leg while snow skiing when I was 19 - 20 years old. I dislocated my elbow playing basketball. I broke my thumb playing baseball. Injuries happen.

My 6 year old son has broken his arm.......by falling off the bed.

All I am saying is that Injuries happen.....

Yep, they happen anywhere and at any age. My 15 year old broke her collar bone at 4 years of age falling down 3 stairs. She also sprained her ankle after dancing because she was running off the stage and was so excited because they got a standing ovation that she slipped and her ankle buckled so she fell of her tap shoe. She also just about 6 months ago broke her nose playing basketball....all things are considered safe. She has also had numerous broken fingers due to basketball.

 

[Deb in IA]

Thanks, everyone, for the kind words of support.

You know, sometimes I am a bit blunt. But the subject of the original post was trampolines, and I was absolutely serious in suggesting the landfill as the appropriate storage place. Personally, I would be delighted to see ALL home trampolines go that route, the sooner the better.

Am I forcing anyone to get rid of their trampoline? Am I calling anyone a bad parent if they have one or let their kids use one? NO.

I am only pointing out a preventable source of childhood injury, disability, and death. Certainly not the only source; yes, there are bike injuries, skateboard injuries, falling out of bed injuries, etc. Yes, we can't prevent all sources of injury . . . but we can start with a significant one.

And the football chit-chat was just an attempt to lighten things up . . .

 

[pozey]

I certainly do not want to start a debate with Deb - who is a very articulate and well-respected poster.

Am I forcing anyone to get rid of their trampoline? Am I calling anyone a bad parent if they have one or let their kids use one? NO.

Well said and I could not agree more.

My only question is why are you singling out the trampoline? I have never heard you, or anyone else say "Personally, I would be delighted to see ALL BICYCLES go that route, the sooner the better." And there are far more injuries bicycle injuries than trampoline injuries.

I am generally not an argumentative person.

 

[graygables]

I grew up in Germany and the trampoline was a sport there, so we used it in PE a lot. When I moved back to the States, my new school had a trampoline, but was not nearly as protected (it was in a corner, with a bunch of pads along those 2 walls) and the "spotters" were little help. Part of the problem with more than one person, is the "bounce" can be off when another person lands. Anyway, I was on doing a routine and one of the other kids spotting did something (it was all a blur) and when I landed, I blew out my right knee. I've had problems w/ it ever since and was recently told to start budgeting for a replacement. So, even though it was "just" a cast and crutches in the 9th grade, it was a lifelong injury.

My DD know they are NEVER to get on a trampoline.

 

[beattyfamily]

Thanks Deb for this thread. I didn't see the other thread so I cannot comment on that.

I am also a no trampolines allowed parent. My sister had one and I didn't want my girls to jump on it when we visited. Then she got sick of it and offered it to us. I refused.

I just saw on the news about a month ago a mom videotapping her son jumping on the trampoline and using the trampoline to jump into their pool. He jumped in such a way that he is now paralized forever. She was sitting there watching and videotapping the whole thing. How sad.

We recently moved to a new home and got a homeowers survey from our insurance company and it asked if we had a trampoline. So if so many other sports are just as dangerous, why are insurance companies going out of their way to make sure their customers don't have tramoolines? Seems they know something about their danger to me. There must be a reason.

Just as the insurance companies are concerned about customers who have pit bulls. They tend to attack more then other dogs. Trampolines tend to hurt more then other sports.

IMHO.

 

[froglady]

Yes, more children are hurt riding bikes than on trampolines. Heck, more kids are hurt in auto accidents and falling down steps. HOWEVER, when you compare the numbers of participants and total amount of time spent in certain activities, trampolining is one that has a higher injury rate per occurance.

My children would have a hard time surviving in our society if they avoided cars, bikes(although they rarely ride because of traffic issues), buses, trains, planes, pools(we live in Florida), or boats (we live on a river) I see no need for them to jump on a trampoline.

 

[aprilgail2]

Many children hurt themselves or die every day; on bikes, in swimming pools, on playground equipment, playing sporting events, etc. .

Sure they do but insurance companies will not cancel your homeowners insurance for having a bike, pool, swingset etc...but they will drop you like a hot potatoe if they know you have a trampoline...the stats are very much against the trampolines safety!

 

[CharlesTD]

On an earlier thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=931585&page=1 after I posted some statistics on trampoline-related injuries, I apparently incurred the unbridled wrath of trampoline fans. Let's see, I was accused of poor taste, being rude, catty, condescending, and my personal favorite, having poop in my Cheerios and PMS'ing (Sorry, hemispheredancer, but I don't eat Cheerios and my period ended last week. )

Some people get so defensive about STATISTICS . . .

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.

Yes but do those of us that have trampolines really care how much you hate them? I know our family could care less about who does and doesn't like the things we have one the kids love it and that is all that matters really after all to each their own it isn't your family so why should you care what is done in somone elses yard no one is telling you you have to have one so why worry about it really.

 

[CharlesTD]

Sure they do but insurance companies will not cancel your homeowners insurance for having a bike, pool, swingset etc...but they will drop you like a hot potatoe if they know you have a trampoline...the stats are very much against the trampolines safety!

That isn't actually the case here people have a harder time getting home owners insurance if they have a pool than if they have a trampoline so this isn't the case everyplace.

 

[N.Bailey]

Well Deb, I hope you didn't take my responses in that thread as any attack to you. I respect your opinion, but I just feel calling for an all out boycott of so many things isn't always the best course of action. You've shown the statistics where bikes are concerned, and I think it's a pretty valid point that more kids are killed or seriously injured on them, yet we don't call for a boycott. IMO, the answer is education here too. Implementing safety precautions would go a long way in lowering these numbers if everyone did their part.

I just don't see the trampoline as being any more dangerous than a bicycle and I certainly would never take a bike away from my child.

In just about every situation in life, there is a right way of doing things and a wrong way. Accidents happen! Automobile accidents happen, bike accidents happen, planes crash, and people are hurt on trampolines EVEN when every safety precaution known to man is utilized. That's just life!!! We can certainly lower all those numbers by being aware of the risks and doing all we can to prevent these types of accidents. Back when Titanic sank, it wasn't mandatory to have life boats aboard for all passengers. Thousands died, yet they didn't call for a boycott of ships. Instead, they raised safety levels in many different areas and stated that there would always be someone at the radio controls 24/7 (sorry, don't know the correct terminology) in case an SOS came in. I could site the same thing where just about everything is concerned. It's safety precautions that we need to push here too, not an all out ban, IMO.

 

[Marseeya]

It's her job to care about kids.

I wouldn't want a doctor who didn't.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Yes but do those of us that have trampolines really care how much you hate them? I know our family could care less about who does and doesn't like the things we have one the kids love it and that is all that matters really after all to each their own it isn't your family so why should you care what is done in somone elses yard no one is telling you you have to have one so why worry about it really.

Probably because she is the one who has to care for your child in the emergency room when they are injured on the trampoline!!!!

Thanks for sharing "Ashley's" story, Deb.... I agree 100% that trampolines are way too dangerous to take chances with.

 

[froglady]

Obviously, it really isn't any skin off my (or anyone else's) nose whether your children get hurt or killed by a trampoline, or if your baby dies of SIDS, or is crushed by a chest of drawers, or any other terrible tragedy.

I've just heard a few too many people say, "I never KNEW it was dangerous! Why didn't anyone tell me? Why weren't there warning labels, news stories, etc?" after their child is hurt or killed.

No one reading this thread can ever say they weren't informed of the dangers involved with a trampoline. What you do with the information is your own business.

 

[Planogirl]

I don't understand why those who allow trampolines get so bent out of shape if others don't like them? Personally, I read others' opinions but keep my own and I don't worry too much about what others think. If you disapprove of trampolines, don't use them and if you like trampolines, use them. Just be careful!