- July 20, 2017
Trampoline Dangers. A three year old boy is in a body cast after jumping on a trampoline at a place called Sky Zone on Adamo Drive in Brandon. Tonight his mother has a warning for all parents. Her warning is Simple. Toddlers should not be on trampolines and she’s not the only one that feels that way. Rod Carter joining us live outside the trampoline park in Tampa with the latest on it. Rob.
Hey, good evening Keith. That mom posted that heartfelt message on Facebook about her experiences here at Sky Zone and she said she learned something here, something that doctors have been saying all alone. All along as she says the six years old kids six and under should never be on trampolines. Caitlin Hill’s Facebook page showing her three-year-old son, Colton in a body cast is getting nationwide attention. Hills says he broke his femur here at Sky Zone. Trampoline park off Adamo drive. She says, quote, our lives have been turned upside down since Colton’s accident and every day is a struggle for his sweet three-year-old self. Katelyn posted that pic hoping to warn other parents that although Sky Zone advertised as toddler event, she’d learned through this ordeal toddlers should never be on trampolines, ever.
The rule of thumb is that kids under the age of six really should not participate in trampoline activities. It’s a sentiment echoed and encouraged by Dr. Seth Gasser of the Florida Orthopaedic Institute. Their bones are softer, they’re more easily fractured, and they don’t really have the balance, coordination and muscle strength to safely participate in a trampoline activity.
But parents, we caught up with leaving a toddler playtime event at Sky Zone. We’re sympathetic to Katelyn situation, but not nervous about letting the little ones play here. We have a trampoline at home, so going here during toddler time, I think it’s a little easier to have them monitored. I think if you’re, if you’re really careful and there are kids that are too big jumping with kids, that are too small. It can be as safe as it can be. Just like any sport has risk. Katelyn was careful to point out they were not bouncing in the same square as Colton when the injury occurred. They were in the squares right next to him. Either way, she’s hoping that others will hop on this story and spread the word about the dangers. And I did reach out to Sky Zone for comment. They did send me one late this afternoon. I’m going to read part of what they said. They said that, uh, the recent incident involving the minor did not occur the way it has been portrayed in the media. We have made the guest family aware of our findings and we are providing video to representatives of this family footage of the incident. They say guest safety, they tell us does remain their priority.
Keith Rod Carter live in Tampa.
Thank you, Rod. There’s a lot of research on this subject too, especially when it comes to what age kids should be allowed to play on a trampoline. We have a closer look at the different studies on wfla.com you can find the story on our free news channel 8 app.