From birthday parties to carnivals, bounce houses are popping up everywhere these days in Texas. For children, they can be a fun way to let out some pent-up energy while parents take a much-needed break. Unfortunately, the fun of jumping in an inflatable house is sometimes cut short whenever a child suffers an injury as a result.

How Common are Injuries?

Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio performed a study on the safety of bounce houses in 2010. This study showed that there were approximately 30 emergency room visits each day that were attributed to bounce house injuries. They also reported that the number of injuries that happened on an annual basis had increased 15-fold since 1995.

How are Children Injured?

Children can be hurt in inflatable structures in a number of manners including:

• • Colliding with other children while jumping
  • Being kicked in the head by another child who is performing flips or tricks
  • Being crushed by an inflatable structure that suddenly collapses
  • Becoming entrapped by certain features

Inflatable Safety Precautions

In order to reduce the odds of injury in Houston, operators of bouncy castles must remain ever vigilant. Some of the things they should do on a regular basis include:

• Inspecting the castle for signs of damage
• Ensuring it is properly tethered to the ground
• Limiting the number of children who may bounce at any one time
• Preventing children under the age of six from entering a structure
• Keeping older and younger children from accessing the same unit

The sad truth is that the majority of serious injuries could easily have been prevented in Houston, Texas if the right precautions were taken ahead of time. Those who operate inflatable structures should keep this in mind in order to avoid being accused of negligence by an injured party.