Father calls for more safety at Portsmouth Flip Out trampoline park after 10-year-old daughter breaks her leg

A DAD is calling for more safety measures and better trained staff after his daughter had to spend three days in hospital after breaking her leg.
Darren Shuker and his daughter Emily, 10

Picture: Duncan Shepherd (180346-004)Darren Shuker and his daughter Emily, 10

Picture: Duncan Shepherd (180346-004)
Darren Shuker and his daughter Emily, 10 Picture: Duncan Shepherd (180346-004)

Ten-year-old Emily Shuker had to undergo surgery to put in metal pins in her leg after breaking her fibula and tibia at Flip Out in Portsmouth and spent three days at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham.

Father Darren said: ‘My friend and I took our kids to Flip Out – we know it can be dangerous and we always keep an eye on them and stand close so if they were to over jump we would be there to catch them.

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‘In fact on the day Emily broke her leg, another girl jumped on a bit where there is a trampoline, a car and a box and luckily I was stood there as she jumped and came off and I managed to break her fall but there was no staff about and it could have been worse.’

Darren Shuker and his daughter Emily, 10

Picture: Duncan Shepherd (180346-004)Darren Shuker and his daughter Emily, 10

Picture: Duncan Shepherd (180346-004)
Darren Shuker and his daughter Emily, 10 Picture: Duncan Shepherd (180346-004)

Darren continued: ‘A couple of hours later Emily was jumping and bounced on to a platform like normal and then she went down and I heard her leg snap.

‘She started screaming and I ran onto the trampoline and held her leg and tried to stop anyone else from jumping near so it wouldn’t move her leg as she was in agony.

‘I said to my friend “call an ambulance, call one now” and we waited what felt like a lifetime before the ambulance arrived but in the meantime the staff just did not seem to know what to do.’

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Darren, who works on a building site, said: ‘Luckily I know first aid and so knew how to deal with the situation but other parents who don’t would be panicking and the staff are just kids themselves and don’t know what to do either.’

Emily Shuker (10) broke her leg and had to spend three days in hospital

Picture: Duncan Shepherd (180346-006)Emily Shuker (10) broke her leg and had to spend three days in hospital

Picture: Duncan Shepherd (180346-006)
Emily Shuker (10) broke her leg and had to spend three days in hospital Picture: Duncan Shepherd (180346-006)

Emily was taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital and had surgery to ensure the bones grow back correctly.

Darren said: ‘The ambulance and hospital staff were so good and when we were in the hospital ward there was another young girl with her mum who had broken her nose and the mum told me she had broken it at Flip Out and since Emily’s incident lots of other parents have told me about things that have happened.’

Like other trampoline parks, participants and/or parents and guardians of participants must sign a waiver that includes Flip Out not being liable for injuries or accidents.

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Darren added: ‘I understand the waiver but the fact is there are not enough safety measures in place to protect the children and the staff need to be trained in what to do as clearly these situations happen often.’

The News contacted Flip Out Portsmouth who declined to comment. The Flip Out head office did not respond to requests for a comment.

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