Finding the most exhilarating activity is what drives kids to be attracted to dangerous activities. Obviously, they do not fully understand the risk they put themselves in, nor the risk they put others in. This is why letting children jump on your trampoline unsupervised can get you in a lot of trouble, especially if you agreed to watch your neighbor’s kids. Before you know it, you can find yourself being contacted by a personal injury lawyer hired by the parents of a child who got hurt on your property.
Now, before you take down your trampoline and stop allowing your kids’ friends to come over, the liability and overall blame for an injury always depends.
Whether a personal injury lawyer is breathing down your neck for a child’s accident on your trampoline or you are considering hiring one yourself, the outcome of the case is going to hinder on the specific situation. What it all comes down to is the supervision of the trampoline owner.
A trampoline is an attractive nuisance for young kids and teenagers that are simply seeking fun. There is no denying that trampolines are an easy way to entertain kids and keep them out of your hair, but letting them run and jump as they please without your supervision is not advised. You can get away with this with your own kids, but if other neighborhood kids and friends are over, you will want to keep an eye out. If someone does get hurt due to your negligence in keeping others safe while on your property, you are at risk of being sued by the child’s parents; and the same goes the other way around, if your child is hurt because there was a lack of supervision, you can make a claim with a personal injury lawyer to help cover any medical charges and more.
Now, if you are outside and give the kids clear warning about participating in dangerous activities but they decide to go ahead and act of their own accord, you might be able to fight the case—again, it depends. The best thing to do is to send the other kids home or find them another activity that they can enjoy.
As clear as it is explained above, if you are not supervising you will ultimately find yourself at risk, but in addition to this, if you are supervising the trampoline and you told other parents before that you will watch their kids while they play, you are potentially at the same risk as if you were not supervising. Further, if kids come over unbeknownst to you and without any of your kids around, you are still in charge of disallowing trespassers entry onto your property or trampoline and can also be found at risk.
The safest bet is to keep close watch of the play and make sure everyone is staying safe. If you are unsure about a situation where a child is injured on your trampoline, or if your child gets hurt on someone else’s trampoline, contact one of our personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation. No matter your situation, we will be able to assess your legal standing for you.