“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 to ABC News the moment her three-year-old son, Colton, suffered a broken femur at a trampoline park. Her story was shared 240,000 times because it resonates with the fear every parent in Pecan Acres feels when a weekend celebration turns into a medical nightmare.
One bounce. One bad landing. One life-altering injury.
If your child was injured at a trampoline park serving Pecan Acres, you are likely sitting in a room at Cook Children’s Medical Center or another Tarrant County trauma unit, sifting through a stack of discharge papers and wondering how a “safe” birthday party ended in surgery. You might be replaying the moment you signed that electronic waiver on the iPad at the front desk, feeling a heavy sense of guilt or worry that you’ve signed away your family’s future.
We are here to tell you two things: It was not your fault. And that waiver is not the wall the park wants you to believe it is.
At Attorney911, we have spent 25 years making corporate giants pay for the decisions they make to prioritize profit over people. We’ve fought BP after the Texas City refinery explosion, and we’ve gone head-to-head with Walmart, Amazon, FedEx, and UPS. We understand that the parent companies behind national chains—Sky Zone, Inc. (backed by Palladium Equity Partners) and Unleashed Brands (the parent of Urban Air, headquartered just down the road in Grapevine)—operate with massive legal teams. We also know how to beat them.
The trampoline injury landscape in Pecan Acres is unique. We are in the backyard of the industry’s biggest players. Urban Air’s corporate headquarters sits in Grapevine; Altitude Trampoline Park was founded in Fort Worth. This isn’t just another practice area for us; this is a fight in our own neighborhood.
What follows is the most comprehensive guide to trampoline injury law ever published for families in Pecan Acres. We will show you why the physics of the “double-bounce” is a known danger, how we dismantle waivers using the same playbook one of our attorneys used when he worked for the insurance companies, and why the evidence in your case is disappearing as we speak.
Your child’s recovery fund starts with the truth. Let’s get into it.
The Meta-Narrative: Trampoline Injuries Are Business Decisions
A trampoline injury in Pecan Acres is never a “freak accident.” It is the predictable output of a system designed for high throughput and low overhead.
When you take your kids to a park near Pecan Acres on a Saturday afternoon, you see a sea of jumping children and a handful of teenagers in bright shirts carrying clipboards. The industry calls them “court monitors.” The law sees them as the last line of defense for your child’s safety.
ASTM F2970 is the safety standard for commercial trampoline courts. It wasn’t written by the government; it was written by the trampoline industry itself. It requires specific attendant-to-jumper ratios, age-separated jumping zones, and strict foam pit maintenance.
When a park in Tarrant County operates at 60% of its required staffing on a busy weekend, that is a business decision. They are choosing to save on labor costs while accepting the “risk” that a 200-pound adult will land on the same trampoline bed as a 60-pound child from Pecan Acres.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has been warning against recreational trampoline use since 1999. They reaffirmed this position in 2012 and 2019. The industry knows these risks. They know that a child under six should never be on a trampoline mat, yet they market “Toddler Time” to parents in Pecan Acres every week.
When that business decision results in a shattered tibia or a traumatic brain injury (TBI), we don’t just sue the park. We perform corporate archeology. We look at the Operator LLC, the Franchisee, the Franchisor (like Sky Zone Franchising LLC or UATP Management LLC), and the Private Equity sponsor. We go upstream because that is where the money—and the responsibility—lives.
The Physics of the Pecan Acres Double-Bounce
Parents in Pecan Acres often ask, “How can a jump result in such a brutal break?” The answer is in the energy transfer.
Imagine your child is jumping on a trampoline court at the Urban Air in Southlake or the Sky Zone in Irving. They are pushing off the mat at the same time a much heavier jumper lands adjacent to them. The trampoline bed stores elastic potential energy from the adult’s landing. As your child pushes off, that energy is released into them, multiplying their launch force by up to 4x.
The child isn’t jumping anymore; they are being launched like a projectile. On the way down, the child’s musculoskeletal system—meaning their developing bones—cannot control the descent. This is how we see Salter-Harris growth plate fractures in seven-year-olds from Pecan Acres.
ASTM F2970 Section 10 requires parks to separate jumpers by weight and size. When an attendant is on their phone or watching the wrong court, they are permitting a violation of the industry’s own safety floor. This isn’t just negligence; it is often evidence of gross negligence, which is the key to defeating any waiver you signed at the kiosk.
The Waiver Is Noise, Not a Wall: The Texas Strategy
If you are a parent in Pecan Acres, you probably remember the iPad at the front desk. You were in a hurry, the kids were excited, and you scrolled through ten screens of legal jargon to reach the “I Agree” button.
The park’s insurance adjuster will call you within 48 hours. They will be kind. They will ask how your child is doing. And then, they will casually mention the waiver to make you feel like you have no rights.
Think again.
Texas law has a specific framework for recreational waivers, and we know exactly where the holes are. Our team includes Lupe Peña, an attorney who used to represent these very parks and their insurance companies. He knows their script because he helped write it. Now, he uses that knowledge for the families of Pecan Acres.
1. The Minor-Injury Rule (Munoz v. II Jaz Inc.)
In Texas, the landmark case Munoz v. II Jaz Inc. established that a parent generally cannot sign away a minor child’s own right to sue for personal injuries. While the waiver might affect your own claims as a parent, your child’s personal cause of action usually survives the kiosk signature.
2. The Gross Negligence Carve-Out
No waiver in Texas can release a company from liability for its own gross negligence. If the park knew their foam pit was compacted below the 8-inch specification required by ASTM F2970 and let your child jump anyway, that is not an “inherent risk.” That is a conscious disregard for safety.
In Harris County, a jury awarded $11.485 million against Cosmic Jump after a teenager fell through a torn trampoline mat onto concrete. The waiver was signed. The jury found gross negligence anyway. We believe Tarrant County juries are just as committed to holding reckless corporations accountable when Pecan Acres children are hurt.
3. The Conspicuousness Attack (Dresser Industries)
Texas follows the “fair notice” doctrine. For a waiver to be enforceable, the release language must be conspicuous—meaning it must be bold, in a larger font, or set apart from the rest of the text. If the park’s kiosk buried the negligence release in a wall of fine print, it fails the Dresser test.
4. The Bilingual Battle (Delfingen US-Texas)
Pecan Acres is home to many families whose primary language is Spanish. If the park provided an English-only waiver and pressured you to sign it without a translation, the contract may be void. We use the Delfingen doctrine to argue that there was no “meeting of the minds.” Llame al 1-888-ATTY-911. Lupe Peña habla con usted directamente en su idioma.
5. The 2025 Jurisdictional Split
The law is changing. In May 2025, the Texas Supreme Court issued a ruling in Cerna v. Pearland Urban Air regarding delegation clauses in arbitration. This makes it harder to fight the venue of the case, but it doesn’t stop the claim. Conversely, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in 2025 (Santiago v. Philly Trampoline Park) that parents cannot bind minors to arbitration. We track these shifts daily to ensure our Pecan Acres clients have the most aggressive strategy available.
Catastrophic Injuries: What Parents in Pecan Acres Need to Know
When the medicine is catastrophic, the case architecture must be equally precise. We don’t just handle “injury claims”; we handle life-altering medical events.
Pediatric Growth Plate (Salter-Harris) Fractures
A “broken ankle” at age eight is never just a broken ankle. If the fracture line extends through the growth plate (physis), the bone may stop growing or grow at an angle. This can lead to permanent limb-length discrepancy. We work with pediatric orthopedic surgeons to ensure your child’s damages include the cost of monitoring and potential corrective surgeries through skeletal maturity.
SCIWORA (Spinal Cord Injury Without Radiographic Abnormality)
This is a pediatric-specific danger. A child can suffer a spinal cord injury even when their X-rays and CT scans look normal. Because a child’s spine is more flexible than an adult’s, the cord can be stretched or compressed without a bone breaking. This is why head-first entries into foam pits at parks serving Pecan Acres are so dangerous.
Rhabdomyolysis and the $10M UH Case Bridge
We currently litigate a $10 million lawsuit against a major university involving rhabdomyolysis—a catastrophic muscle breakdown that leads to acute kidney failure. We see the same pathology in trampoline injuries. If your child jumped continuously for 90 minutes in a hot indoor park and later presented with dark-colored urine or severe muscle pain, they may be experiencing “rhabdo.” We know the nephrology experts and the medical chronology required to win these cases because we are doing it right now.
The Evidence Clock: Why Tomorrow Is Too Late
In Pecan Acres, the legal statute of limitations might give you two years to file, but the evidence clock is measured in days.
- Surveillance DVRs: Most parks in Tarrant County overwrite their security footage every 7 to 30 days. If we don’t send a formal spoliation letter immediately, the video of your child’s injury is gone forever.
- Incident Reports: We often find that the “official” incident report has been revised by a manager 48 hours after the accident. We demand the original metadata to see what the attendants actually wrote before the lawyers got involved.
- Kiosk Purges: Kiosk databases can purge individual signature records on 72-hour cycles.
- Witness Turnover: Attendants at trampoline parks have an annual turnover rate of over 100%. The 17-year-old who saw your child fall will likely have a different job by next month.
We send our preservation demands within 24 hours of being retained. We don’t wait for “adjuster good faith.” We lock the evidence down.
Who Is Responsible for an Injury in Pecan Acres?
The park’s lawyer will try to point the finger at your child or another kid on the court. We don’t allow them to outsource their duty of care.
We investigate the entire defendant stack:
- The Operator LLC: Often undercapitalized, this is just the beginning.
- The Franchisee: The local owner of the Southlake, Fort Worth, or Hurst location.
- The Franchisor: Urban Air (Unleashed Brands) or Sky Zone (Sky Zone, Inc.). In the Collins v. Urban Air award ($15.6 million), the franchisor was held responsible for 40% of the fault because of “systemic failures” in safety implementation.
- The Parent Company: We investigate the private equity firms like Palladium or Seidler that approve the budget cuts.
- The Component Manufacturer: If a mat tore or a harness failed, the makers of that equipment are on the hook. Ropes Courses, Inc. was a named defendant in the Matthew Lu wrongful death case because the climbing wall harness was at issue.
Why Choose Attorney911 for Your Pecan Acres Case?
Most personal injury firms treat a trampoline case like a slip-and-fall. They send a letter, wait for an offer, and settle for the primary insurance limit.
We don’t.
We’ve handled complex litigation against BP. We know how to pierce corporate shields. We understand the international standards like EN ISO 23659:2022 that European parks must follow—and we use that to show how far U.S. parks have fallen behind.
Our managing partner, Ralph Manginello, has spent 25+ years in federal and state courtrooms. Our team knows the medical experts, the biomechanical engineers, and the ASTM compliance specialists. We advance all costs for these experts so your family’s recovery fund stays intact. You pay nothing unless we win.
As our client Chad Harris said, “You are NOT a pest to them and you are NOT just some client… You are FAMILY to them.” We represent the parent who is exhausted, the child who is scared, and the family that just wants someone to level the playing field.
Frequently Asked Questions About Trampoline Injuries in Pecan Acres
Can I sue if I signed the paper waiver for my child?
Yes. In Texas, a parent generally cannot bindingly waive a minor’s right to sue for personal injuries. Furthermore, if the injury was caused by the park’s gross negligence—like failing to maintain a foam pit or ignoring dangerous double-bouncing—the waiver is often unenforceable under Moriel and Munoz guidelines.
My child was hurt at an Urban Air. Is the corporate office in Grapevine responsible?
Very likely. While each park is often a separate LLC, the franchisor (UATP Management, LLC) maintains control over training, safety manuals, and equipment standards. The $15.6 million award in the Collins case proves that the franchisor can be held liable for systemic safety failures.
How much is my child’s case worth?
Every case is unique, but catastrophic trampoline injuries often involve multi-million dollar life-care plans. A child with a permanent cervical spine injury or a severe brain injury may require a settlement ranging from $5 million to $25 million depending on the lifetime cost of care, lost future earning capacity, and the park’s degree of negligence.
The park manager said it was a “freak accident.” Should I believe them?
No. An industry that sees 300,000 ER visits a year—as documented by CPSC NEISS data—cannot claim that any injury is a surprise. What they call an “accident,” we often find to be a documented violation of ASTM F2970 attendant-to-jumper ratios.
How long do I have to take action in Tarrant County?
While the statute of limitations for personal injury in Texas is two years (and tolled for minors), the evidentiary clock is much shorter. Surveillance video at local parks is often overwritten within 7 to 30 days. You should call an attorney the same week the injury happens to preserve the proof.
What is a “trampoline fracture”?
It is a specific pediatric injury—a proximal tibial metaphyseal buckle fracture typically seen in children under six. It usually happens when a smaller child is double-bounced by a heavier jumper. Because a young child’s bones are still developing, this “minor-looking” break can have lifelong growth implications.
Can we sue if we are Spanish-speaking and the waiver was only in English?
Yes. Under the Delfingen doctrine, a Texas court may refuse to enforce a contract if the signer couldn’t read the language and the park did not provide a translation or explanation. Lupe Peña of our firm is a native Spanish speaker who handles these cases directly.
What if the injury happened on the Sky Rider or a climbing wall?
These “adjacent attractions” carry a high risk. We follow the pattern of harness failures seen in the Matthew Lu and Lakhani cases. Often, these attractions are governed by different safety standards or the Texas Department of Insurance Class B inflatable rules. We investigate the manufacturer of the harness and the park’s training logs for that specific machine.
Your Next Steps: Protecting Your Child’s Future
Your child’s case is decided by what gets preserved this week.
If you are a parent in Pecan Acres, do not wait for the park to “do the right thing.” Their risk management team is already at work to protect the corporation. You need someone at work for you.
Call 1-888-ATTY-911.
We are available 24/7. Hablamos Español. Our associate attorney, Lupe Peña, will speak with you directly without an interpreter. Our spoliation letter will go out to the park and their corporate headquarters in Grapevine or Dallas within 24 hours of your call.
We represent families in Pecan Acres and across the country on a contingency-fee basis. No fee unless we win. We advance the costs for the biomechanical engineer who will model the energy transfer of your child’s fall. We pay for the pediatric orthopedic consultant. We hire the ASTM-compliance specialist.
The park has a system for denying claims. We have a system for winning them.
Let our 25 years of courtroom experience be your child’s advantage. Call 1-888-ATTY-911 today. The consultation is free, and the fight starts now.
Additional Insights for Pecan Acres Families
The Tarrant County Advantage
Living in Pecan Acres means you are only miles away from the headquarters of the very companies the rest of the world has to sue from afar. When we depose a witness from Altitude or Urban Air, we aren’t just calling a local manager; we are often reaching the people who set the standards for the entire national chain. This proximity allows us to investigate corporate-level decisions about margin and safety more effectively.
The Role of Tarrant County Trauma Centers
If your child was taken to Cook Children’s or Texas Health Harris Methodist in Fort Worth, their medical records contain the first evidence of your case. We know how to work with these facilities to secure the high-resolution imaging—the MRIs and CT scans—that show the difference between a simple strain and a permanent ligamentous spinal injury (SCIWORA).
Backyard Trampolines in Pecan Acres
While the parks get the news, Pecan Acres backyards are full of Skywalker, Jumpking, and Springfree trampolines. If your child was hurt on a neighbor’s trampoline, we investigate the “attractive nuisance” doctrine. Even more critically, we look for product defects. If a frame weld failed or an enclosure netting tore despite being advertised as UV-resistant, the manufacturer is responsible. Your homeowners’ insurance may exclude trampolines, but the manufacturer’s multi-million dollar product liability policy does not.
The Hidden Trap: “Med-Pay” Offers
Do not deposit a check from the park for $3,000 labeled “medical payments.” In many instances, the fine print on the back of that check or the document that accompanies it constitutes a full release of all further claims. What looks like a helpful gesture is actually a tactic to end a potential seven-figure case for pennies. Call us before you touch a pen to an insurance document.
How We Handle Out-of-State Cases
While we are deep-rooted in Texas, our firm handles trampoline injuries nationwide. If a family from Pecan Acres is visiting Florida and is hurt at a park there, we apply the Kirton v. Fields doctrine to defeat the waiver. If you are in Michigan, we use Woodman v. Kera. Our 50-state legal database ensures that no matter where the jump happened, your family is protected by the best law available in that jurisdiction.
The Inevitability of Accountability
The parent conglomerates behind the big trampoline park chains don’t get a special pass because they sell “fun.” They are commercial operators with a non-delegable duty to keep your children safe.
If they had followed ASTM F2970, your child would likely be home today, not in a hospital bed. If they had listened to the AAP warnings from 1999, the “double-bounce” that broke your child’s leg wouldn’t have been possible.
Accountability is not a suggestion—it is a legal requirement.
Call 1-888-ATTY-911. Hablamos Español. Our offices in Houston, Austin, and Beaumont are the base, but our reach into Tarrant County is direct and aggressive.
You signed the waiver because you believed the park. We fight because we know the truth.
1-888-ATTY-911. No fee unless we win.
