Researchers Claim Bounce Houses Unsafe

Just when you thought you'd found a "safe" party attraction, bounce houses have come under recent fire.  According to a recent study in the Journal Pediatrics, bounce houses are proving to be quite dangerous to children.  Researchers analyzed data across the United States and determined a child was injured in a bounce house every 46 minutes nationally.

What is the Dangers Associated with Bounce Houses?

According to researchers, over the past decade, 65,000 child injuries are tied to bounce houses.  Of these injured children, approximately 31 are seen in the emergency room every day.  Children injured in bounce houses could face the following injuries:

• 43% falls
• 27% fractures
• 27% strains or sprains
• 20% head or neck injuries

A neck or a head injury could be fatal, or it could be paralyzing.  Children using bounce houses are at risk when they're jumping and banging into each other.  Sometimes these bounce houses are not inflated properly and they could fall down on the children, trapping them inside and risking asphyxiation.

Researchers are calling for guidelines on the use of bounce houses to ensure child safety.  Absent clear guidelines from the medical and public health community, researchers seem to expect these injuries to continue in a similar pattern. 

Keep Your Child Safe

Keep your child safe while using a bounce house by following simple guidelines.  Supervise the children at play in a bounce house.  Observe whether or not someone is rough housing and causing dangerous conditions.  Inspect the bounce house to determine whether it appears to be inflated properly and whether any objects are puncturing it. Limit the number of children at play in a bounce house and remind them of proper conduct.

If your child has been hurt at play in a bounce house, you could be entitled to compensation.  Obtain medical treatment for your child and then call a skilled personal injury lawyer to determine whether you have a case.