A lawsuit was filed Friday on behalf of a teen who says he was seriously hurt and unable to return to school or take part in sports after a larger guest fell on him at a Covina trampoline park.
Plaintiff Joe Ghanem’s complaint — brought in Los Angeles Superior Court by his guardian, Ibrahim Ghanem — was filed against Sky Zone Trampoline Park. The suit alleges negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress and products liability. The complaint seeks unspecified damages.
“Defendant failed to recognize the harm and risk to plaintiff by allowing him to engage on the same trampoline with (a) customer who is larger in stature,” the suit states.
A Sky Zone representative did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
According to the lawsuit, the boy and a friend were driven to the attraction by the plaintiff’s mother about 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2014. He was given a pair of socks to wear without shoes while using the trampolines, the suit states.
“Customers are not grouped according to size, but jump and play with customers of all ages and physical statures,” the suit states.
The boy, who at the time was 13 years old, was 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighed 145 pounds, was throwing a ball to another guest when he was “blindsided” by third boy who was 6 feet tall and weighed about 180 pounds, the suit states.
The heavier boy fell on top of the plaintiff, causing him to black out, the suit alleges. His mother took him to a hospital in West Covina, where he underwent five hours of surgery for a broken tibia, a shattered knee and damage to an anterior cruciate ligament, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiff was bedridden for two months and was unable to change his clothing or bathe himself without assistance during that time, the suit states. He also was prescribed painkillers, the suit states.
The boy was homeschooled by his mother because he was unable to return to his classes, the suit states. He also could not take park in basketball or other physical workouts he previously enjoyed, the suit alleges.
His mother had to borrow a car so that he could get in and out of it easier than the family SUV, the suit states.
In March, the boy twisted his foot in a way that would have been minor before his injuries, but instead required him to go to a hospital emergency room and be prescribed more pain medication, according to the lawsuit.
A request that Sky Zone management provide any video or audio tape they may have of the boy being injured was ignored, according to the lawsuit.
—City News Service