Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By David A. Wolf, Attorney – Child Injury Lawyer Blog
Over the past few years, there has been a growth in the number and presence of trampoline parks and indoor bounce house locations and facilities. While these recreation, sports, amusement park, and theme park attractions can be great ways to have fun and exercise, they are also the locations of unfortunate and preventable injuries to children. There are risks with any forms of physical activity and sports. There are also safety measures and rules that should be followed to reduce these risks. If children, parents, and facility supervisors follow and enforce the rules and safety measures, many personal injuries can be prevented.When a child is a guest or visitor to a trampoline park or bounce house, there is a duty on the part of the trampoline park / bounce house operator and owner to provide a reasonably safe play environment for the children. The duty is one of the four elements necessary to prove up a case for personal injuries on behalf of the injured child. The four elements are as the following:
In most sports, there are boundaries that define the playing field or area including the following:
Trampolines are common in most every community. Many commercial play areas also have trampolines for use by children. While trampolines can provide great fun and a form of exercise for children, trampolines are also well known hazards and risks to children as well. This is especially true for young children who play on trampolines. The American Academy of Pediatrics reported that there were approximately 100,000 trampoline related personal injuries reported in 2009. The American Academy of Pediatrics has taken the position that recreational trampoline use by children is just plain dangerous. Many parents do not recognize the dangers of trampoline use until there is a serious personal injury that grabs the attention of the parents.
Cheerleading over the past 10 years has developed into a extremely competitive and dangerous sport. It is been quite some time since the role of cheerleaders has been relegated to the sidelines doing simple cheers and shaking Pom Poms. These days cheerleading is filled with gymnastic maneuvers, acrobatic moves, jumps, flips and other activities that are both exciting to watch and dangerous to perform. Because of the nature of the sport of cheerleading, it is important that schools, coaches, clubs and others set forth policies and procedures for practice and competition. In particular, cheerleading policies and procedures should be comprehensive and include rules, procedures, and guidelines for cheerleaders designated as “flyers” and “spotters”.
An Oswego County, New York high school student died from injuries suffered in a high school football game. Ridge M. Barden, a 16 year old student at Birdlebough High school, suffered severe head trauma when he made helmet- to – helmet contact with another football player. Braden complained of a severe headache and collapsed on the field shortly after the collision. School officials and paramedics were on the scene and transported the teen to a local Syracuse, New York hospital about 30 minutes away. Braden’s condition worsened during transport. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.