Trampolines are injury magnets. Their use frequently leads to injury, sometimes a quite serious injury.
In some cases, the injury victim is compensated. An $800,000 jury verdict in New York in a trampoline case was upheld on appeal a few years ago, for example.
Often trampoline cases are tough for the injury victim to pursue. Here is a quick summary of two reported cases in Washington state. Please note our firm was is not affiliated with these cases.
• A teenager was injured performing a double flip on a trampoline. He sued the trampoline manufacturer. The trial court dismissed. The Court of Appeals held that “a manufacturer does not have a duty to warn of obvious or known dangers” and concluded that dismissal was appropriate because the risk of falling or landing incorrectly while jumping on a trampoline was obvious and known to the injury victim. Anderson v. Weslo, Inc., 79 Wn.App. 829, 906 P.2d 336, (Div. 2 1995).
• A high school gymnastics student attempting to perform a double-forward somersault lost his balance and fell off a trampoline onto the floor, landing on his head and shoulders, sustaining very serious permanent injuries. A jury found against him, and the Court of Appeal upheld the defense verdict, holding that a person of the injury victim’s “age, intelligence and experience is held to the exercise of the same judgment and discretion in caring for his own safety as one in more advanced years.” Chapman v. State, 6 Wn.App. 316, 492 P.2d 607, (Div. 3 1972).
This is not to say a trampoline injury victim has no hope of compensation for their injuries. Each personal injury case must be evaluated on its particular facts.
If you or someone close to you has been injured on a trampoline, please contact our office for a compassionate ear and honest case evaluation.