Daring tricks and twists are part of the fun at Sydney’s trampoline parks, but an alarming jump in traumatic injuries has sparked an investigation and calls for a safety review.
The frequency and severity of injuries sustained at indoor parks have impelled the orthopaedics, paediatric and trauma teams at the Sydney’s Children Hospital in Randwick to join forces to investigate.
Trampoline parks, such as Sky Zone in Alexandria, have surged in popularity in recent years. Photo: Janie Barrett
“There was an observed increase in these types of injuries. The study will look at how they occur, how badly they occur and contributing factors,” a hospital spokeswoman said.
At the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, doctors have been treating spine and head injuries and fractured and dislocated limbs sustained in trampolining mishaps.
On the mend: Harry Bailey, now 8, was trampolining at a birthday party when he broke his arm.
“The worst was a very complicated fracture around the elbow, which could have led to a permanent disability,” orthopaedic surgeon Matthias Axt said.
Official data across both hospitals shows cases linked to trampoline parks grew from none to 19 in the past year, though the actual figure is thought to be higher. The data also does not capture anysprains, strains and cuts that would betreated by GPs and at home.
Harry Bailey was at a birthday party at Boing Central in February when he leapt off a raised platform with his friends and snapped his forearm.
His mother, Yvonne, said a staff member offered an ice pack wrapped in a kitchen towel before another parent drove them to a nearby private hospital where a nurse said the injury was too traumatic for them to treat. They were transferred by ambulance to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Harry, now 8, had his arm in a cast for two months and spent another two months recovering.
Anthony O’Brien from Boing Central said he did not know about the specific accident but stated: “We always have someone with first aid training on and they attend to the person injured. We’re always assessing these situations, and making sure we’re doing the right thing.”
Boing Central is one of nine members of the Australian Trampoline Parks Association which formed last October to promote the highest safety standards in the rapidly expanding industry. The group finalised a code of practice in June.
Blaise Witnish of Sky Zone in Alexandria, a founding member of the association with Bounce Inc, said any member found to be non-compliant in a sweeping October audit would be deregistered. She said she was aware of operators who fell far short of the new standard.
The growth of parks from none to 55 nationally in two years would naturally be linked with a rise in injuries, she said. “If you establish 100 kids’ playgrounds over a year, you’d expect to see a rise in monkey bar injuries, for example.”
Ms Witnish said at Sky Zone, the number of safety signs, skyguard supervisors, and audits had increased, in an effort to cut injury rates.
Christine Erskine, chief executive of Kidsafe NSW, said while trampoline parks offered fun and exercise for children, they needed to be safer.
“We don’t want cotton-wooled and bubble-wrapped kids. The balance is that the environment can cope with that level of activity and excitement.”
Personal injury lawyer Andrew Stone will raise equipment problems such as exposed springs, insecure padding and torn netting in two new compensation cases against Canberra-based trampoline parks.
Mr Stone, also president of the Australian Lawyers Alliance, also criticised the practise of making users sign waivers.
“They’re saying, no matter what, you can’t sue us. It doesn’t matter if they don’t have enough staff, their staff isn’t properly trained, or their equipment is old or derelict,” he said. “It is morally wrong because shoddy operators get protected.”
Do you know more? Have you or your child been seriously injured? ehan@fairfaxmedia.com.au