“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.”
Those are the words of Kati Hill, a mother who watched her three-year-old son Colton suffer a broken femur during a “Toddler Time” session at a trampoline park. Her story is not a freak accident. It is a predictable outcome. In Converse, Texas, and across the San Antonio metro, thousands of families visit facilities like Urban Air, Altitude, and The Rush Fun Park, trusting that the “safety” marketed on the walls is backed by rigorous supervision.
We are Attorney911, The Manginello Law Firm. For over 25 years, Ralph Manginello has stood as a lead advocate for families facing catastrophic injury and wrongful death. Our firm doesn’t just “take cases.” We dismantle the corporate systems that prioritize profit per hour over the structural integrity of a child’s skeletal growth. We have litigated against the largest multinational corporations in the world, including industry giants like BP. We know that the parent conglomerates behind chains like Sky Zone, Inc. and Unleashed Brands hire fleets of defense lawyers to shield their millions. That doesn’t intimidate us. We’ve already fought that fight, and we’ve won.
If your child was injured at a trampoline park in Converse, or if a neighbor’s backyard trampoline became the site of a life-altering accident, you are currently in a race against the clock. Park surveillance in Bexar County is typically overwritten in as little as 7 to 30 days. The incident report you saw being typed up is already being “finalized”—which often means sanitized—by corporate risk management.
Call us at 1-888-ATTY-911. We advance every cost—the biomechanical engineers, the pediatric orthopedic surgeons, the ASTM safety compliance experts. You pay nothing unless we win. Our associated attorney, Lupe Peña, spent years defending insurance companies and recreational businesses against these exact claims. He knows their playbook because he helped write it. Now, he uses that insider knowledge to destroy their defenses.
Part I: The Systemic Reality of Trampoline Injuries in Converse
Trampoline injuries are a pediatric health crisis. According to the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) 2024, approximately 1.6 percent of all pediatric emergency department trauma visits in the United States are now trampoline-related. In a community the size of Converse, that translates to dozens of families sitting in trauma bays every year.
Most of these families believe that because they signed an iPad at a kiosk, they have no legal rights. They are wrong. In Texas, a jury in Harris County awarded $11.485 million against the operator of Cosmic Jump after a 16-year-old fell through a torn trampoline mat onto concrete. The waiver was signed. The jury found gross negligence anyway. We focus on proving that same level of conscious indifference in every case we handle.
The Looming Deadline in Bexar County
Texas law generally provides a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003. While the claims of minors are “tolled” (meaning the clock doesn’t start until they turn 18), the parent’s claim for medical bills expires in 24 months. More importantly, the evidence vanishes in weeks.
We represent families. We represent children. We represent the parent standing at a hospital bedside tonight watching a surgeon explain what happens when a growth plate is destroyed at age nine.
Part II: The Mechanisms of Catastrophe
Trampoline injuries at commercial parks in Converse are not random. They are the result of specific mechanical and operational failures that violate industry safety standards.
1. The Double-Bounce Physics
The most common injury at local parks like Urban Air or Altitude is the double-bounce. When an adult or a larger teenager lands on a trampoline bed at the same instant a smaller child is pushing off, the energy transfer is not additive—it is multiplicative. Physics dictates that the child’s launch force can be multiplied by up to 4x.
The child is no longer jumping; they are being catapulted. Their bones, which are still developing and less mineralized than an adult’s, cannot absorb the force upon descent. This results in the “trampoline fracture”—a proximal tibial metaphyseal buckle fracture—or, worse, a comminuted femoral shaft fracture.
ASTM F2970, the safety standard written by the trampoline industry itself, requires parks to separate jumpers by age and weight. When we see a Converse park allowing a 200-pound adult on the same court as a 60-pound child, that is not an accident. That is a direct breach of the industry’s own safety floor.
2. Foam Pit Submersion and SCIWORA
Foam pits are marketed as soft landing zones. In reality, they are often reservoirs of compacted, degraded polyurethane blocks. ASTM F2970 specifies precise depth and density requirements. When foam is not rotated or replaced, it loses its ability to decelerate a falling body.
A head-first entry into a foso de espuma (foam pit) in a Converse park can lead to cervical hyperflexion. In children, this often produces SCIWORA (Spinal Cord Injury Without Radiographic Abnormality). The bones may look normal on an X-ray, but the cord has been stretched or starved of blood.
Hablamos Español. Llame al 1-888-ATTY-911. Lupe Peña habla con usted directamente — sin intérpretes.
3. The Rhabdomyolysis Bridge
We are currently litigating a $10 million lawsuit against the University of Houston involving rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney failure. This same catastrophic pathology occurs in trampoline parks. When children jump for 90 or 120 minutes in a high-temperature indoor facility without mandatory hydration breaks, their muscles can literally begin to break down.
The byproduct, myoglobin, enters the bloodstream and poisons the kidneys. If your child has “cola-colored” urine, extreme muscle pain, or vomiting 24 to 48 hours after a visit to a Converse jump park, go to the emergency room immediately. This is a medical emergency that we know how to document and litigate.
Part III: Why the Waiver Doesn’t End Your Case
The “Waiver of Liability” you signed on that iPad in Converse is meant to discourage you, not to legally bar you. Texas law provides multiple attack vectors that we use to dismantle these agreements.
| Waiver Attack Vector | Legal Basis in Texas |
|---|---|
| Parental Indemnity | Munoz v. II Jaz Inc. |
| Gross Negligence | Moriel & Cosmic Jump Precedent |
| Fair Notice / Conspicuousness | Dresser v. Page Petroleum |
| Signer Authority | Tex. Fam. Code § 153.073 |
| Bilingual Formation | Delfingen US-Texas v. Valenzuela |
1. The Child’s Claim is Independent
In Texas, the landmark case of Munoz v. II Jaz Inc. established that a parent generally cannot sign away a minor child’s independent legal right to sue for personal injuries. While the parent may have waived their own right to recover for medical bills, the child’s claim for their own pain, suffering, and permanent impairment remains alive.
2. Signer Authority in Bexar County
Converse is a community of extended families. Frequently, grandparents, aunts, or family friends take children to the trampoline park. We look at every signature metadata. If the person who signed the waiver was not the legal guardian or court-appointed conservator, Tex. Fam. Code § 153.073 says they had no authority to bind that child. The waiver is a legal nullity.
3. The Spanish Language Edge
Texas is ~40% Hispanic. In the Converse and San Antonio markets, many families speak Spanish as their primary language. If a park in Converse presented an English-only iPad waiver to a parent who does not read English, and pressured them to sign it quickly so the kids could jump, that waiver is vulnerable to a “procedural unconscionability” attack. Under the Delfingen doctrine, we argue that no valid contract was formed because there was no “meeting of the minds.”
Part IV: Corporate Archeology—Who We Actually Sue
“Sky Zone” or “Urban Air” are not single companies. They are complex, layered corporate structures designed to insulate the money from the victims.
- The Operator LLC: This is the single-location entity in Converse. Often, they only carry $1 million in primary insurance—not enough for a spinal injury.
- The Franchisee: The multi-unit holding company that may own several parks in South Texas.
- The Franchisor: UATP Management LLC (for Urban Air) or Sky Zone Franchising LLC. They dictate the safety manuals and training.
- The Parent conglomerate: Sky Zone, Inc. (formerly CircusTrix LLC), backed by Palladium Equity Partners; or Unleashed Brands, acquired by Seidler Equity Partners in 2023.
- The Manufacturer: For backyard cases, we name Jumpking, Skywalker, or Springfree. For park cases, we look at attraction designers like Ropes Courses, Inc.
We track the private equity sponsors and the corporate consolidation. When we litigate, we go upstream to where the real insurance towers live.
Part V: 48-Hour Evidence Preservation
If you were injured in a Converse trampoline park, the park’s risk management team is already building a case against you. They are trained to “down-play” injuries, as a parent reviewer at Urban Air Southlake famously noted.
Our investigation begins with a forensic digital examiner.
- DVR Imaging: We image the park’s hard drives using write-blocked acquisition (FTK Imager/EnCase) to prevent “glitches.” In Georgia, a jury awarded $3.5 million to Mathew Knight after the defense video magically skipped during the moment of injury. We don’t let that happen.
- Kiosk Metadata: We pull the audit logs. If the park “updated” their waiver between your injury and our subpoena, we prove it through the Wayback Machine and digital forensics.
- Incident Reporting: We demand the shift logs and the time-clock records for every court monitor. We want to know if the “attendant” was a 16-year-old on his third hour of training.
1-888-ATTY-911. We advance every expense — the experts, the filing fees, the forensics. You pay nothing unless we win.
Part VI: Catastrophic Pediatric Injuries—More Than a Broken Bone
When a child is hurt at a park in Bexar County, the medical math is different. Pediatric bone is more pliable, but the growth plates (physes) are the weak points.
Salter-Harris Fractures
A Salter-Harris Type II fracture of the distal tibia at age eight is a decade-long medical event. The bone that should have produced healthy growth for the next ten years has been crushed. This can lead to limb-length discrepancy or angular deformity that doesn’t fully manifest until puberty.
We don’t settle based on the ER bill. We build a Pediatric Life-Care Plan. We project the cost of every orthopedic monitoring visit, every possible corrective osteotomy, and every specialized educational accommodation your child may need through age 18. This life-care plan often reaches the $500,000 to $2.5 million range.
Concussions and Academic Regression
A “mild” concussion in Converse is never mild to a developing brain. We monitor for delayed-onset cognitive decline. If your child’s grades slip or their behavior changes three months after a trampoline fall, that is part of the damages.
Part VII: Frequently Asked Questions for Converse Parents
Q: Can I sue if I signed the waiver at an Urban Air or Sky Zone in Converse?
A: Yes. Texas courts, under Munoz v. II Jaz, have consistently held that parents cannot waive a minor’s individual right to sue for personal injuries. Furthermore, gross negligence (violating ASTM safety standards) removes the shield of a waiver for adults and children alike.
Q: Should I take my kid to a trampoline park at all?
A: The American Academy of Pediatrics has advised against home trampoline use since 1999 and updated 그 guidance in 2019 to discourage routine recreational use at parks. If you go, ensure there is 1:32 monitor-to-jumper ratio and look for parks that have replaced foam pits with airbags.
Q: What if the monitor wasn’t watching my child when they got hurt?
A: That is the core of our “negligent supervision” claim. We subpoena the attendant’s training records and the park’s surveillance. If the monitor was assigned to three courts at once during a Converse birthday party peak, the park violated ASTM F2970.
Q: How much does a trampoline park lawyer cost?
A: At Attorney911, we work on a contingency fee. That means zero dollars upfront. We pay for the biomechanist and the surgeons. We only get paid if we recover money for you.
Q: They said they wouldn’t call 911 because it’s against policy. Is that true?
A: This is a documented industry tactic used to minimize notice and evidence. If a park refuses to call EMS for a serious injury, they are engaging in conduct that Bexar County jurors find egregious.
Q: What is a “trampoline fracture”?
A: It is a specific pediatric injury—a proximal tibial metaphyseal buckle fracture—caused by the rebound energy of a second, heavier jumper. It is the signature injury of the double-bounce.
Q: How long do I have to do something – is there a deadline?
A: The legal deadline is two years in Texas, but the evidence deadline is much shorter. If you wait more than 30 days, the video from the park is likely gone.
Q: Are trampoline parks safe for toddlers?
A: No. ASTM F381 and the AAP both state child under 6 should not use trampolines. When a Converse park markets a “Toddler Time” to 3-year-olds, they are inviting injuries on their most vulnerable patrons.
Part VIII: The Inevitability of Accountability
What happened to your family wasn’t an accident. It was the predictable output of a business model that cuts corners on staffing to hit a margin target. The industry giants—Sky Zone, Urban Air, Altitude—rely on parents believing the waiver is a wall.
It is not.
We bring 25 years of federal courtroom experience to your kitchen table in Converse. We bring a former insurance defense lawyer to look at your waiver. We bring an active $10 million medical-litigation framework to your child’s rhabdomyolysis or spinal injury.
As client Chad Harris said, “You are NOT just some client… You are FAMILY to them.” That is how we treat the parent at the trauma-bay bedside.
Your child’s case is decided by what gets preserved this week. The DVR overwrites. The attendant transfers. The foam pit refills. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 now. Hablamos Español. Our spoliation letter goes out within 24 hours of your call.
Attorney911 | The Manginello Law Firm
1-888-ATTY-911
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