Hospital issues trampoline warning
The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario is warning parents to watch more closely when their children play on trampolines, saying many seem unaware of the potential risk their kids face.
According to a CHEO study, the rate of injuries on trampolines is higher than the injury rate for cycling.
Across the country, more families are buying trampolines, and more children are getting hurt. National statistics show that in 1998 more than 550 kids and teenagers were injuredmost of them suffered broken bones.
In the past year, CHEO has treated more than 50 kids for trampoline injuries.
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"Kids have been injured jumping off the roof onto trampolines and then flying off. Children have been injured walking underneath trampolines when other kids are tramping on the upper surface," said Dr. Martin Osmond.
One study found that over half of trampolining injuries happen when more than one person is bouncing on the trampoline at one time, said Osmond.
According to the study, firm rules and a watchful eye greatly reduce the risk.
Linda Evans says she would never have allowed her daughter Jenna to use a friend's trampoline without supervision.
The trouble is, she didn't know Jenna was there until it was too late.
Jenna, 8, was bouncing with a friend, getting some "awful" height. "She came down on the trampoline, but as she hit, her legs snapped up to her chest, knocked the wind out of her and fractured her vertebrae," said Linda.
"I couldn't move. I was just frozen," said Jenna, whose mother feared she'd be paralysed. She wasn't and is now nursing two broken vertebrae.
Doctors said Jenna was lucky.