I fondly remember summer evenings spent jumping on the big trampoline in my neighbor’s yard. I also remember the flashing lights as an ambulance carried away an injured friend.
Trampolines send more than 83,000 people in the United States to the Emergency Department each year – and these injuries are equally as likely to be a fall from a 3-foot mini-tramp as a larger one. Deaths have occurred in children ranging in age from 3 to 21.
I applaud the 1999 American Academy of Pediatrics statement warning that children should not use trampolines at home or in routine gym classes at school.
There are so many wonderful ways to have summer fun that don’t pose such a risk!