Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Parks are now facing increased scrutiny after two children were hurt in a similar accident, one here in Phoenix and the other in Lakeland, Florida.
Arizona Attorney Tanveer Shah told WFLA Channel8 News that the circumstances surrounding the two incidents are almost identical.
After viewing video taken of the Lakeland Florida incident that left a young boy injured after he fell from a zip line attraction and landed on the concrete floor below, Shah said it reminded him of his client’s case.
“I was taken aback because the facts of the story you (WFLA) had reported were eerily similar to the case I am handling here in Arizona,” Shah said.
That incident, which happened on January 30, 2018, involved a 7-year-old girl who fell through her zip line harness some 20 to 25 feet onto the hard floor below at the Urban Air facility located at 4816 East Ray Road in Phoenix.
The young girl suffered catastrophic injuries that were not just broken bones and a punctured lung, but also a severe brain injury that has left her with what Shah describes as “personality changes and deficits mentally.”
Shah said that he plans to file a lawsuit within the next two months against Urban Air. Shah said he would be investigating to determine whether error on the part of the zip line operator, faulty or defective design of the zip line harness, or a combination of both was the underlying cause of the accident that left his client with severe injuries.
The amusement park was inspected as recently as July of 2019, and no issues were found with Urban Air’s equipment. Federal officials believe that the Phoenix incident was likely caused by operator error.
Urban Air released a statement saying that the company is committed to safety and that appropriate measures have been taken.