ACC reports that last year 4000 people injured themselves on December 25, costing the country about $4 million. Video / ACC
An injury prevention advocate is calling for trampoline owners to keep an eagle eye on user safety after a bounce in injuries last year.
In the Bay of Plenty region last year, there were 848 trampoline-related injuries made to the Accident Compensation Corporation for a cost of more than $536,000.
The injuries contributed to the nationwide total of 12,669 in 2020 which came at a cost of $10.6 million, the highest in the past decade.
Over the same 10-year period, there have been 8305 trampoline-related injuries in the Bay of Plenty region, coming to a cost of $5.5m to help people recover.
ACC injury prevention leader Kirsten Malpas said the introduction of safety nets, pads and zips in the past 20 years have made trampolines safer.
However, there were still older models in existence without protective equipment. Malpas urged these owners to have pads covering the frame and springs.
The total cost of trampoline-related injuries was the highest in the past 10 years. Photo / Getty Images
"The trampoline is a place where a lot of injuries can happen and many of these incidents are preventable.
"We want whānau all over Aotearoa to have fun, enjoy their time together and to play safely on their trampolines without injury."
Since 2010, the most trampoline injuries in the Bay of Plenty occurred in 2017 when there were 1102 and respectively, the most costly year was 2018 with $950,602.
Falls were the leading cause of injuries and fell into three main types: Off the tramp; on to the metal frame, bars, or springs; and through the safety net or springs.
Other causes of injury include colliding with others, landing on objects on the trampoline, and jumping on to the trampoline from something like a tree or fence.
The most common injuries from trampoline accidents are ankle sprain at 12 per cent and neck sprain at 8 per cent, Malpas said.
People often fracture bones too, and that happened to an Auckland toddler in 2018 after her brother tried to push her through the flaps.
The 13-month-old, Winnie, held on to the netting before falling and breaking her collarbone, mother Andrea Fountain, of Auckland, said.
"It was pretty stressful. Winnie was in a lot of pain and she wouldn't stop crying," she said.
"I gave her a bottle to settle her down, but she couldn't drink it because she couldn't lift her arm. I knew then it was serious, and her arm was broken."
X-rays showed Winnie had fractured her collarbone and Fountain was told it would take up to six weeks for it to heal. ACC covered all of Winnie's medical expenses.
"Having an injured child is not easy," Fountain said.
"Especially when they are young and you are trying to get them dressed, bathed and fed. It was a challenging time there for a while."
ACC encouraged trampoline owners to reinforce safety rules, such as only having one person using it at one time.
Manufacturer's guidelines for assembly, positioning, maintenance, and use should never be ignored either and the trampoline should be inspected regularly.
Bay of Plenty trampoline injuries
• In the past 10 years, there have been 8305 trampoline-related injuries which came at a cost of $5.5 million;
• In 2020, there were 848 trampoline-related injuries which cost more than $536,000;
• ACC accepted claims for 12,669 trampoline-related injuries in 2020, which came to a cost of $10.6m - the highest cost in the past decade.
