Are Your Kids At Risk On Trampolines? Docs Say Maybe More Than You Know
Dangers Of Trampolines & Why Insurance Agencies Won't Insure Them
Kids love them, but a new study by the American Academy of Pediatrics says your child should stay away from all trampolines, whether it's at home or the playground.
Trampolines have been around for years, and have been fun for kids and adults. But now, doctors are warning just how dangerous the devices are. The new statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics updates recommendations from 1999, which caused manufacturers to add safety features to trampolines.
The upgrades include things like nets and pads over the springs, but even with the improvements, there are still more than 100,000 trampoline related injuries every year. The injuries range from
broken arms to something as serious as neck injuries.
That large number of incidents even has many insurance providers refusing to insure homes with the backyard devices.
Delphine Marceille of Hempfrer Insurance Services in Rib Mountain says, "When we have a new client come we first ask them do you have a trampoline? If they do have a trampoline, it determines immediately what companies were going to look at for them. That’s the way we determine where to put them"
Marceille says that when it comes to insurance plans for homes, trampolines are more of a concern than pools, showing just how dangerous they can be.
Doctors say that the risk is even greater for smaller children. Cristin Newkirk, a physician for Marshfiled Clinic says, "If there are multiple kids on the trampoline, the smaller one is about 14 times greater to have something happen to them." She says that number goes up with the more kids that are on the trampoline.
If you still decide to let your children play on trampolines, always have an adult present, and only let one child jump at a time.
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