A mother in Victoria, Australia, has filed a lawsuit against Bounce Australia, a popular indoor trampoline park chain, alleging negligence led to a severe neck injury that has left her unable to walk. Sarina Walker, 45, is seeking undisclosed damages in the Supreme Court of Victoria following the incident on December 20, 2023, at the company's Grovedale center.
According to court documents, Walker landed awkwardly on her neck while jumping, resulting in a broken neck and a serious spinal cord injury. Doctors have informed her family that she will likely never walk again and has very limited use of her arms. She required intensive care, breathing through a tube and being fed through a nasal tube.
Despite her condition, her husband, Blair Walker, described her spirit as unbroken, noting her optimism and efforts to communicate through blinks, a spelling board, and charades. The couple has since shared milestones, including her transfer to a rehabilitation center for intensive physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Mr. Walker has also adapted a van to allow his wife to participate more fully in family life.
This lawsuit is not the first legal action involving Bounce Australia's Grovedale facility. In September 2024, the company was fined more than triple its original amount, reaching $40,000, after pleading guilty to failing to protect non-employees from health and safety risks. This stemmed from a May 2022 incident where an 11-year-old boy fell approximately four meters from a climbing wall, sustaining a fractured sternum and soft-tissue injuries to his back. An investigation by WorkSafe found Bounce lacked adequate supervision and safety briefing systems for customers in the climbing area.
Previously, in 2013, a man sued after fracturing his tibial plateau while playing trampoline dodgeball at a different Bounce venue. However, a County Court jury found the risk was inherent to the activity and that he had voluntarily accepted it. His subsequent appeal was dismissed.
Daily Mail has reached out to Bounce Australia for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.