“His feet hit the mat, and almost instantly his knees buckled down, and he just let out the worst scream that you could ever have heard from a child.”
That is Kaitlin “Kati” Hill, a mother from right here in Texas, describing for ABC News the moment her three-year-old son Colton’s femur was shattered at a trampoline park. Colton was jumping in a “Toddler Time” session—a window specifically marketed to parents of small children as a safe environment. He spent months in a body cast. His mother’s public warning has been shared more than 240,000 times because it resonates with the private fear of every parent in the City of Wilmer who has ever signed an iPad waiver while a line of excited children waited behind them.
“We had no idea,” Kati said. “We would have never put our baby boy on a trampoline if we would have known.”
At the Manginello Law Firm—Attorney911—we believe you shouldn’t have to find out the hard way. If you are reading this at a hospital bedside or in your home in the City of Wilmer after a trampoline accident, you need to understand one thing clearly: what happened to your child was not a “freak accident.” It was the predictable result of an industry that, for twenty years, has chosen profit margins over the safety principles established by its own peers and medical experts.
Our managing partner, Ralph Manginello, has spent over 25 years holding some of the world’s largest corporations accountable, including litigation surrounding the BP Texas City refinery explosion. Our team includes associate attorney Lupe Peña, who previously worked on the other side of the table—defending the very insurance companies and recreational facilities we now fight. He knows their playbook because he helped write it. He knows which clauses in a Sky Zone or Urban Air waiver are enforceable under Texas law and which ones are full of holes.
We serve families in the City of Wilmer and throughout Dallas County who are facing the life-altering consequences of traumatic brain injuries (TBI), spinal cord damage, and catastrophic fractures. We don’t just handle personal injury cases; we dismantle the corporate architecture designed to shield national trampoline chains from accountability.
The Reality of Trampoline Injuries in the City of Wilmer and Beyond
While the City of Wilmer offers a quieter life, it sits at the crossroads of one of the most saturated trampoline park markets in the world. Dallas-Fort Worth is home to the corporate headquarters of industry giants like Urban Air (Grapevine) and Altitude Trampoline Park (Fort Worth). Families in the City of Wilmer are just a short drive up I-45 from the massive Urban Air locations in South Dallas, Waxahachie, or Mansfield.
When you take your child to an Urban Air, a Sky Zone, or an Altitude, you are entering a facility owned by private equity giants like Palladium Equity Partners or Seidler Equity Partners. These firms manage hundreds of millions in sales, yet they often rely on a workforce of 16-to-19-year-olds with as little as two hours of safety training to supervise your child’s life.
Nationally, the data is staggering. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has warned against recreational trampoline use since 1999—a warning they reaffirmed in 2012 and again in 2019. According to a landmark study by Teague et al., published in Pediatrics in January 2024, significant injuries are a routine byproduct of these parks. In a study of over 13,000 injuries, researchers found that foam-pit injury rates sit at 1.91 per 1,000 jumper-hours, and high-performance jumping reaches 2.11 per 1,000.
In a metro as dense as D-FW, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram documented 500 injury reports across 21 trampoline parks over a seven-year span. If you live in the City of Wilmer, your child is part of a high-risk demographic simply because of our proximity to these “adventure hubs.”
Why the Evidence Clock is Ticking in City of Wilmer
If your child was injured today or this past weekend, the clock is not just running on the legal statute of limitations. It is running on the evidence.
Most trampoline parks in the D-FW area use digital surveillance systems (DVRs) that are programmed to overwrite footage on a rolling cycle of 7 to 30 days. If we do not send a formal spoliation letter—a legal demand to preserve evidence—within the first week, the video of the “double-bounce” or the harness failure that caused the injury could be gone forever.
“One company said they would not accept my case,” client Donald Wilcox said. “Then I got a call from Manginello… I got a call to come pick up this handsome check.” At Attorney911, we take the difficult cases that other firms decline because they are intimidated by the waiver. We send our spoliation letters within 24 hours of being retained. We identify the specific DVR access logs, the version history of the kiosk waiver, and the metadata of the incident report. We don’t wait for the park to “revise” the story.
If you have suffered an injury in the City of Wilmer, call us now at 1-888-ATTY-911. Hablamos Español. Our consultations are free, and we advance every cost of the investigation.
The “Double-Bounce” and the Physics of Catastrophe
The most common mechanism of injury at commercial parks serving the City of Wilmer is the “double-bounce.” This occurs when two jumpers occupy the same trampoline mat at the same time. The industry’s own safety standard, ASTM F2970, requires parks to operationalize age and weight separation to prevent this.
The physics are brutal. When a 200-pound adult lands on a trampoline bed at the same moment a 60-pound child from the City of Wilmer is pushing off, the energy transfer multiplies the child’s launch force by up to 400%. The child is no longer jumping; they are being catapulted.
When that child descends, they are often off-axis. Their developing bones, which are less ossified and more pliable than an adult’s, cannot absorb the landing force. This results in the “trampoline fracture”—a proximal tibial metaphyseal buckle fracture—or, more severely, a Salter-Harris growth plate injury.
Medical Specificity: Why a “Broken Leg” Isn’t Just a Broken Leg
For a family in the City of Wilmer, a trip to the emergency room at Children’s Medical Center Dallas might begin with a diagnosis of a fracture. But if it is a Salter-Harris Type II fracture of the distal tibia, the implications are lifelong.
A growth plate injury that happens at age eight may not show its true damage until age fourteen. If the growth plate (physis) is destroyed, the bone will not grow straight or will stop growing entirely, leading to angular deformity or limb-length discrepancy. This requires a decade of orthopedic monitoring and potentially corrective osteotomies.
Most law firms settle these cases for the cost of the ER bill and a year of physical therapy. We don’t. We retain pediatric orthopedic surgeons and life-care planners to calculate the next forty years of medical needs. As client Glenda Walker said, “They fought for me to get every dime I deserved.”
Texas Law and the Trampoline Park Waiver
The most common lie told to City of Wilmer residents at trampoline parks is that the waiver they signed at the kiosk is an absolute shield. “You signed the waiver, you can’t sue,” is the script insurance adjusters use to close files before parents can speak to a lawyer.
It is a lie.
In Texas, the law surrounding waivers is complex, but it is heavily weighted in favor of protecting children. Under the landmark Texas case Munoz v. II Jaz, Inc., 863 S.W.2d 207 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1993), a parent generally cannot waive a minor child’s personal cause of action for injuries sustained at a commercial facility. While you may have signed away your own right to sue for derivative damages like the medical bills you paid, your child’s direct claim for their own pain, suffering, and impairment remains alive.
The “Fair Notice” Doctrine: Dresser v. Page Petroleum
Even for adult jumpers in the City of Wilmer, a waiver must pass the Texas “Fair Notice” doctrine established in Dresser Industries, Inc. v. Page Petroleum, Inc., 853 S.W.2d 505 (Tex. 1993). This doctrine requires:
- Express Negligence: The waiver must specifically state that it releases the operator from its own negligence in clear, unambiguous language.
- Conspicuousness: The release language cannot be buried in fine print. It must be bold, in a contrasting color, or otherwise set apart so that a reasonable person would notice it.
Most kiosk waivers at D-FW trampoline parks fail one or both of these tests. They are presented on a flickering screen in a crowded lobby to a parent who is being rushed through the check-in process.
Gross Negligence: The Cosmic Jump Precedent
Even more importantly, Texas courts refuse to enforce waivers where the injury was caused by gross negligence.
In Harris County, a jury awarded $11.485 million against the operator of Cosmic Jump after a teenager fell through a torn trampoline slide onto unpadded concrete. The park’s management had actual knowledge of the tear but chose to keep the slide open anyway. The jury found that this conscious indifference to a known risk constituted gross negligence. The waiver was signed, but the verdict stood.
Our associate attorney Lupe Peña, with his background in insurance defense, knows exactly where these company-authored waivers are vulnerable. If your child was injured by a broken spring, a compacted foam pit, or a known supervisor who wasn’t watching the court, the waiver you signed is likely noise, not a wall.
Hablamos Español. Si firmó el documento en inglés y su idioma principal es español, el caso Delfingen US-Texas v. Valenzuela puede invalidar la renuncia. Llame al 1-888-ATTY-911.
Foam Pits and Airbags: The Illusion of Softness
Many parks in the City of Wilmer area still feature foam pits, although the industry is rapidly replacing them with airbags. There is a reason for this transition: foam pits are a primary source of cervical spinal cord injuries.
The Science of SCIWORA
A common pediatric injury mechanism in foam pits is SCIWORA (Spinal Cord Injury Without Radiographic Abnormality). This happens because a child’s spine is more elastic than the spinal cord itself. A head-first entry into a foso de espuma can stretch the spinal column, damaging the cord, even while the bones appear normal on an initial X-ray or CT scan.
We represent the parents at the bedside, watching a surgeon explain why their child cannot feel their legs despite a “normal” scan. This is where medical mastery matters. We understand the AJR 2024 “Head to Toe” radiographic profiles of these injuries. We know to look for vertebral artery dissection—a neurovascular injury that can lead to a spinal-cord stroke, as seen in the viral Elle Yona TikTok case.
ASTM F2970 and Foam Pit Negligence
ASTM F2970 requires foam pits to have a minimum depth and for the foam blocks to be of a specific density. Over time, foam cubes compact. If the park fails to “fluff” or rotate the foam, or if the pit is under-filled, the jumper can contact the hard concrete floor or a dense pad beneath.
In the Anthony Seitz v. AirMaxx case in Minnesota, a $3 million settlement was reached for a man paralyzed in a foam pit after it was proven the park had knowledge of prior jumpers “bottoming out” and failed to remediate the hazard. When we handle a foam pit case for a City of Wilmer family, we subpoena the foam-rotation logs and the daily inspection checklists to prove the park knew their “safety feature” was actually a catastrophe waiting to happen.
The Growing Risk of Adjacent Attractions
Trampoline parks like Urban Air and Altitude are no longer just about jumping. They have pivoted toward the “Family Entertainment Center” model, bolting on attractions that are often more dangerous than the trampoline decks themselves.
Urban Air Go-Karts and the Riddle Fatality
In December 2025, six-year-old Emma Riddle died at an Urban Air in Port St. Lucie, Florida, after a two-seat electric go-kart experienced what was described as a mechanical pedal/throttle failure. The kart surged forward into a wall while the child was unbelted.
This tragic case highlights the “adjacent attraction” gap. A waiver drafted to cover the “inherent risks of jumping” does not automatically cover the mechanical failure of a powered go-kart or the harness failure on a climbing wall.
Sky Rider / Indoor Coasters
Urban Air’s signature “Sky Rider” indoor zipline-coaster has been implicated in a chain-wide pattern of strangulation hazards. From Newnan, Georgia, to Bloomingdale, Illinois, children have been caught in the harness ropes. In one 2023 incident, a father had to climb the netting twelve feet into the air to rescue his struggling daughter because no employee intervened.
Under Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b), these chain-wide patterns are admissible to prove that the corporate parent—Unleashed Brands or Sky Zone, Inc.—had notice of a design defect and failed to issue a recall or retrofit. We don’t just sue the local franchisee near the City of Wilmer; we sue the billion-dollar corporate parents who approved these dangerous designs.
Staffing Gaps: Who is Watching Your Child?
The person responsible for your child’s safety at a D-FW trampoline park is, statistically, a teenager being paid minimum wage.
Look at the documented track record of the industry:
- Sky Zone Tukwila (WA): Fined $68,000 in January 2025 by the Department of Labor & Industries for overworking teen employees and safety lapses.
- Sky Zone Vancouver (WA): Fined in 2024 for over 250 occasions where teen employees didn’t receive breaks.
- Urban Air Birmingham: Fined $28,000 for working children under sixteen years old past legal school-night hours.
A corporation that illegally overworks its teenage staff to protect its margins is a corporation that has no meaningful commitment to the hundreds of hours of training required by ASTM F2970.
In the $15.6 million Damion Collins v. Urban Air arbitration award, the arbitrator found a “systemic failure” to implement safety changes and noted that monitors had “little training and did nothing” to stop prohibited flips. At Attorney911, we investigate the “Staffing Gap” by pulling time-clock records, hiring files, and training certificates for every monitor on duty at the time of your child’s injury.
Exertional Rhabdomyolysis: The Invisible Emergency
Texas summers are brutal. Many trampoline parks running on outdated HVAC systems can reach ambient temperatures above 85 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity. When you combine that heat with high-intensity jumping for a “Two-Hour Open Jump” session, the risk of exertional rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) sky-rockets.
Rhabdo occurs when muscle tissue breaks down so rapidly that it releases a protein called myoglobin into the blood. Myoglobin is toxic to the kidneys.
Watch your child for these symptoms 12 to 48 hours after a park visit:
- Cola-colored urine (dark brown or tea-colored).
- Sudden, severe muscle pain that feels like a “crushing” ache.
- Vomiting and confusion.
- Inability to stand up or move their legs.
This is a medical emergency that can lead to acute kidney failure and the need for dialysis.
We are perfectly positioned to handle these cases. We are currently litigating a $10 million lawsuit against the University of Houston and Pi Kappa Phi regarding the exact same rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure physiology. We have the medical experts, the nephrology consultants, and the litigation playbook to hold City of Wilmer-area parks accountable when they sell all-day passes without hydration protocols or heat monitoring.
Liable Parties: Who is Responsible for Your Child’s Recovery?
When we build a case for a City of Wilmer family, we don’t just look at the local LLC on the lease. We build a 5-Layer Defendant Stack:
- Operator LLC: The specific park location near the City of Wilmer.
- The Franchisee: The multi-unit owner group that often owns 5-10 parks.
- The Franchisor: UATP Management LLC (Urban Air) or Sky Zone Franchising LLC. They mandate the training and safety manuals.
- The Corporate Parent: Sky Zone, Inc. (f/k/a CircusTrix) or Unleashed Brands. These are the deep pockets.
- The Equipment Manufacturer: If a mat tore (like in Cosmic Jump) or a harness failed (like in Matthew Lu), the manufacturer of that specific component is on the hook.
The Insurance Shell Game
The park’s adjuster will often say, “The policy limit is only $1 million.” In a catastrophic case, that won’t even cover the first year of rehabilitation.
Our job is to find the other layers. Almost every national franchisor requires their franchisees to name them as an “Additional Insured.” This provides an immediate overlay of $10 million to $50 million in umbrella and excess coverage. We also look at the Landlord’s GL policy and the Manufacturer’s product liability tower.
Whatever they try to hide, we find. Ralph Manginello’s federal court experience and our firm’s track record against companies like Walmart and Amazon ensure that your family isn’t limited by a single LLC’s small policy.
The Backyard Trampoline: A Different Set of Rules
While parks are complex, many City of Wilmer families are injured right at home. The backyard trampoline is America’s most-warned-against recreational product.
If your child was injured on a neighbor’s trampoline in the City of Wilmer, the Attractive Nuisance Doctrine may apply. Under Texas law, a homeowner who has a condition on their property that is likely to attract a child (like a trampoline) can be held liable for injuries to that child—even if the child was trespassing—if the owner failed to exercise reasonable care to secure it.
Product Defects: Skywalker, Jumpking, and SEGMART
If the trampoline failed because a weld snapped or a net tore, the case shifts to Product Liability. We track the CPSC recall history:
- Jumpking: Recalled 1 million units in 2005 for breaking welds.
- Sportspower / BouncePro (Walmart): Recalled over 100,000 units for netting failures.
- SEGMART: Recalled toddler trampolines as recently as 2026 for strangulation hazards.
If you still have the defective trampoline components in your backyard in City of Wilmer, do not throw them away. That physical evidence is the most valuable part of your product liability case. We will send a materials scientific expert to your home to document the failure.
Why Choose Attorney911?
Most personal injury law firms handle a trampoline case the way they’d handle a basic car accident. They don’t understand the medicine of pediatric growth plates. They don’t know the difference between ASTM F2970 and F381. They are scared of the waiver.
We are different.
- Federal Court Mastery: Ralph Manginello is admitted to the Southern District of Texas. He has spent over 25 years fighting Fortune 500 defense firms.
- The Defense Edge: Lupe Peña spent years defending these companies. He knows their internal risk-management thresholds.
- Contingency Discipline: You pay us nothing unless we win. We advance the costs of the biomechanical engineers, the orthopedic consultants, and the life-care planners. Your family’s recovery fund stays intact.
- Bilingual Representation: Hablamos Español. Our firm represents the heavily Hispanic family demographics of Texas directly, without the need for translators.
As client Chad Harris said, “You are NOT just some client… You are FAMILY to them.” We treat the parent standing at the trauma-bay bedside in Dallas or Houston like our own family.
Frequently Asked Questions for City of Wilmer Families
Can I sue if I signed the waiver?
Yes. In Texas, a parent cannot waive a child’s direct claim for personal injury. Furthermore, no waiver in Texas protects a park from gross negligence—which includes knowing about a safety violation and failing to fix it. We defeat waivers on five different legal vectors, from conspicuousness to unconscionability.
How much is my child’s trampoline injury case worth?
Recovery depends on the severity of the injury and the available insurance layers. Catastrophic spinal cord injuries often involve $5 million to $15 million or more in lifetime care needs. Significant fracture cases involving growth plate damage often result in settlements ranging from $500,000 to $2 million.
How long do I have to file a claim in Texas?
The standard statute of limitations for personal injury is two years. However, for a minor under the age of 18, the clock is tolled until their eighteenth birthday, effectively giving them until they turn twenty to file. But remember: the evidence—surveillance video and staff testimony—disappears within weeks. You must act fast to preserve your case.
What should I do if the park’s insurance company calls me?
Do not give a recorded statement. Do not accept a “quick check” for your deductible. The adjuster’s goal is to close the file for the lowest possible amount before you realize your child has a growth-plate complication or persistent TBI symptoms. Tell them you are represented by Attorney911 and hang up.
Does it matter if I’m not a U.S. citizen?
No. Your immigration status does not affect your right to recover damages for your child’s injury in a Texas court. Our communications are protected by attorney-client privilege. Your family deserves justice regardless of your status.
The Fight for Accountability Starts Today
If your family’s life was changed in one bad landing at an Urban Air, a Sky Zone, or a backyard trampoline in the City of Wilmer, the most important thing you can realize is that you are not alone—and the guilt you feel is not yours to carry. Every parent who walks into a trampoline park signs the same papers and trusts the same monitors. The park failed your child; you didn’t.
What happened wasn’t an accident. It was the predictable output of a system that put margin ahead of your child’s musculoskeletal development. The AAP has been warning about this since 1999. The industry wrote its own safety standards and then ignored them on a Saturday afternoon while your child was in the air.
We were built for exactly this fight. Ralph Manginello brings nearly three decades of trial experience. Lupe Peña brings the insider knowledge of the insurance industry’s tactics. Our firm brings the financial resources to take on private equity giants like Palladium and Seidler.
Your child’s case will be decided by what gets preserved this week. Surveillance DVRs overwrite in 7 to 30 days. Waiver databases purge. Staff members quit or move. We send our spoliation letters within 24 hours of your call.
Call 1-888-ATTY-911 now. Hablamos Español. Our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont handle cases nationwide on a contingency basis. You pay nothing until we win. The case starts today.
