A 12-year-old boy survived after a trampoline spring punctured his back: 'Flied like a bullet from a gun'
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If you have children, there is a good chance you also have a trampoline in the backyard. They can be a lot of fun, but it is always important to remember about child safety. They can also be dangerous - every year about 100,000 children are injured due to trampoline accidents.
But the story of one child's horrific trampoline story was utterly bizarre - he survived an injury that could have been fatal, caused by an improper spring that penetrated his back.
Jamie Quinlan, a 12 year old boy from Lincolnshire, England, was playing on the trampoline with his friends. And as he recalled, he suggested his friends that they all jump on it at once.
He admitted that he 'acted stupidly' but no one could predict what would happen.
"And then I felt something very strange in my back", he said. "It turned out it was one of the springs".
Boy, 12, survives 'freak' trampoline accident after metal spring shot into his back 'like a bullet' https://t.co/MDOPml9ODZ pic.twitter.com/RTo9de8HB3
— FOX 32 News (@fox32news) September 5, 2019
The metal spring flew off the trampoline at a speed of more than 100 km/h, and penetrated the child's back in a depth of about 6 cm.
Jamie's friends looked in horror, and he got off the trampoline in excruciating pain. His parents rushed him to a local hospital, and from there transported him in an ambulance to a larger hospital.
"When I was in the waiting room I was very worried", Jamie said. "It took them about 10 minutes to get the spring out of my back".
Jamie is now recovering from the injury: "Sometimes it feels like the spring is still in my back, but I feel better with each passing day", Jamie said. "I feel relieved that it did not end worse".
He's right: the spring slightly missed his spine, and at that speed, if the spring had hit another limb, it could have been fatal.
"The spring detached from the trampoline like a bullet from a gun", said Ian, Jamie's father. "If he had hit Jamie's body elsewhere, in his head or neck, we could have lost him".
"It was awful and it really scared me. It could happen to anyone. Jamie was really brave".
Jamie said the doctors have never seen anything like it, but his dad wants other parents to be careful with the trampolines they have at home. The next victim may not be as lucky as Jamie.
"I want people to be aware of the dangers of the trampoline if there are no covers on the springs, or there is a space", he said.
We have seen in the past that the springs detach from trampolines.
According to the U.S. Department of Consumer Safety, there are thousands of trampoline-related injuries. In 2012 alone there were 94,000 cases that came to the hospital due to trampoline injuries.
So you can not be too sure when it comes to the trampoline, and this story shows the unexpected dangers they pose. Please share the story so others can be aware of it.