Probe into Dalkeith trampoline centre – 102 injured in three weeks
A SAFETY probe is under way at a new trampoline centre because more than 100 people have been injured there since it opened just over three weeks ago.
There have been fractures, sprains, cuts and strains. One man broke his neck and children have ended up with limbs in plaster.
Ryze in Dalkeith, Midlothian, which has 10,000 square feet of trampolines and a foam pit, opened on January 23.
Since then there have been 102 injuries to customers, seven of which were serious.
The doctors at the hospital said he was lucky not to be paralysed as he should not have been moved.
The centre’s owners said the number of injuries, compared with other similar facilities, is “better than the industry norm” and that 25,662 people had used it over the period.
Chief executive Case Lawrence said: “This injury incident rate is right in line with what we see in the US and what we would expect here.
“It is actually better than the industry norms and we always see the incident rate decline after the first few months as the novelty wears off and people become more familiar with the rules and, frankly, as our staff gain more experience and training.”
Heavily pregnant Claire McKenna, 39, from Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, said first aid was “non-existent” when her husband, Christopher, 49, broke his neck.
She said: “He was lying motionless and face down on the trampoline and two young boys who work there lifted him and moved him off the trampoline.
“This was where alarm bells were ringing for me because you should never move anyone with a neck injury. Twenty minutes later I was still arguing with the boy to call an ambulance but he was just interested in filling in an accident form and kept saying for me to drive him to the hospital as the ambulance wouldn’t know where to come because it’s a new centre. It was absolutely crazy.
“The doctors at the hospital said he was lucky not to be paralysed as he should not have been moved. There were no first aiders and the most damning thing was there was no control of the place.”
Marion Dickie, 35, from Edinburgh, said her two-year-old son Anderson broke his leg at the centre.
She said: “I would never go back to the centre, it was a complete disaster for us.
“The first aid and advice needs to be upped and all the boy was interested in was taking his name and date of birth for his accident report rather than dealing with his injury.
“They didn’t even have a proper ice pack and instead gave us a food bag full of sharp ice. It was ridiculous.”
A spokeswoman for Midlothian Council, said: “Having been made aware of a number of allegations of injuries, we have visited the premises and our inquiries are ongoing.”
