Injury Rate From Bounce Houses Soaring

Pennsylvania parents thinking of renting a portable bounce house or moonwalk for their child’s next party might want to think again.

Every 46 minutes a child is injured in an inflatable bouncer, according to a recent study in the journal Pediatrics.

Thirty children are taken to emergency rooms each day for broken bones, sprains, cuts and concussions from bounce house accidents. Their average age is seven years old.

Most are hurt when they collide with another bouncer or fall inside or outside of the inflatable device.

Following is from a CBS News report:

Falls accounted for 43 percent of injuries, followed by stunts and collisions. Forty-four percent of the injuries occurred at a recreational setting and 38 percent occurring at home.

More than 27 percents of injuries were fractures, with another 27 percent reported as strains or sprains; nearly 33 percent occurred to the lower extremities, while nearly 30 percent occurred to the upper ones. About one in five injuries occurred to the head and neck, which could lead to potentially serious problems like concussion.

About three percent of all injuries required hospitalization, mostly for broken bones.

There were four bounce house deaths from 2003 to 2007, according to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, all involving children striking their heads on a hard surface.

Bounce houses – including castles, spheres and moonwalks – have soared in popularity in recent years, from fewer than 1,000 in 1995 to nearly 11,000 in 2010.

There are no regulatory standards or official safety recommendations for their use.

Talk to a Pennsylvania Personal Injury Attorney

Has your child or someone you know been injured on an inflatable bouncer? Got a question about liability and compensation? Contact an experienced Scranton youth injury lawyer at Munley, Munley & Cartwright today. Call 877-763-2343 or use this online contact form.

Sources:

• Pediatrics http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/11/21/peds.2012-0473
• CBS News shttp://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57554184/bounce-houses-injure-a-u.s-child-every-46-minutes-study-finds/