The Injured Child: Inflatable Bounce House Injuries on the Rise

A popular staple at children’s birthday parties, the inflatable bounce house, or moonwalk, is responsible for sending at least 30 kids per day to the emergency room, or one every forty-five minutes. It is a drastic increase from the 1,000 children sent to the emergency room in 1995 to the nearly 11,000 who needed emergency care in 2010.

Falls both into and out of the bounce house were the most common cause of injuries followed by stunts and collisions with others. According to the CPSC, jumping or sliding head down or attempting to flip is associated with an increase in head and neck injuries. Stunts, including flipping posed the most risk of a neurological injury. Despite the similarities, there are national safety guidelines for trampolines but there aren’t any guidelines for inflatable bouncers. Parents should then use common sense and caution when allowing children to use a bounce house. Some limits might include not allowing children under the age of 6, to limit use to one child at a time to avoid collisions or if allowing more than one child to ensure that the children are around the same age and size.

According to the Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP), the most common injuries were fractures (28%), strains or sprains (27%), and head or neck injuries (19%). This particular study highlights that bouncers pose serious risks beyond skeletal injuries. 72.5% of all injuries were non-fracture including closed head injuries and concussions. The nonskeletal injuries were severe enough to require emergency room treatment.

Fractures in children are of particular concern. Children are very prone to epiphyseal injuries, which is an injury to the growth plate. Injuries of these types require immediate surgery as reduction becomes increasingly difficult with each day that passes. If these injuries cannot be repaired then the child will be left with one limb longer than the other as the injured limb would fail to continue to grow.

If your child has been injured as the result of a bounce house accident, contact the personal injury attorneys at the Granite Law Group for your free consultation. Our attorneys can help your child recover for medical bills, loss of function, pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. Our attorneys are licensed in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York.