The family of a B.C. man who died during a visit to an indoor trampoline park in January says the park's operators failed to ensure his safety.
In a notice of civil claim filed June 20, the family of Jason Jerome Greenwood said Extreme Air Park Inc. did not properly warn the deceased of the risks.
The lawsuit targets the Richmond franchise, as well as the company that owns all four locations. It also lists an employee ("John Doe") and the property owners as defendants. The plaintiffs in the suit are Jay Greenwood's three young stepchildren and their mother.
The 46-year-old died Jan. 20, after somersaulting into a foam pit at the park. Police said he'd performed a series of "acrobatic manoeuvres" before landing in a way that caused serious injury and cardiac arrest.
As a result of his death, the lawsuit says, the plaintiffs have suffered loss of love, guidance and companionship from a man who was a spouse, father, stepfather, son and stepson.
They've also suffered loss of financial support, child care services, household assistance and inheritance, the suit claims.
As a result, the family is seeking general and special damages, interest and court costs. The exact dollar amount is undisclosed.
The suit claims Greenwood's death was a result of negligence, including a failure to supervise or protect him from harm and to warn him of the dangers ahead of time. The family claims the company failed to ensure the foam in the pit was sufficient, and did not provide enough supervision and instruction about use of the area.
Other items include a failure to stop Greenwood from participating in an activity outside his physical or mental abilities and failing to ensure he was adequately trained and coached.
He was not warned of the dangers of diving into the pit head first, the lawsuit claims,
None of the claims outlined in the lawsuit have been proven in court. The park has about a month from when the claim was filed to respond.
The Greenwood lawsuit is not the first legal action Extreme Air Parks has faced. The company has settled following two previous claims, after determining it was more cost effective than pursuing the cases in court.
Earlier this year, the owner of Extreme Air Parks wrote in a letter to Premier John Horgan that paramedics have been called to his trampoline parks a total of 87 times (about one incident for every 11,550 visitors), and that Greenwood's was the first fatal accident.
In his letter, he asked the province to create safety regulations for the industry to give the public further confidence that facilities are safe and maintained.
He wrote that his company has "well established protocols" to ensure their equipment is safe and that guests understand the risks. All guests sign a waiver that indicates they are aware of the dangers.
