VANCOUVER — The family of a British Columbia man who died after somersaulting into a foam pit at an indoor trampoline park is suing the facility for negligence.
Jason Greenwood's wife Tanya Hayes and his three young stepchildren are all named as plaintiffs in the notice of civil claim filed late last month.
The claim says Greenwood visited an Extreme Air Park Inc. location in Richmond in January and jumped into the foam pit in a somersault-like motion.
"Tragically, Mr. Greenwood died," says the claim, filed in B.C. Supreme Court.
The lawsuit names the company, the Richmond location, an employee referred to as John Doe and the property owner.
Extreme Air Park has not yet filed a response to the civil claim and none of the allegations has been proven in court. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit alleges the Richmond facility failed to supervise Greenwood, did not provide him with any safety instructions or prevent him from participating in activities that were outside his physical abilities.
It also alleges it failed to warn Greenwood of the dangers of diving into the foam pit head first or to ensure the pit was wide or deep enough and had enough foam.
Other allegations include that it didn't make sure that a net at the bottom of the foam pit could support the weight of customers or that employees were properly trained on the use of the pit.
The death and resulting loss to Greenwood's family was caused solely by the negligence of Extreme Air Park, the lawsuit says.
Hayes and her children have lost love, guidance and companionship, as well as financial support, child care and household assistance, the suit says.
The family is seeking general and special damages. No dollar amount is provided.
RCMP said in January that Greenwood, 46, was visiting the park with two children when he was hurt. He performed a series of "acrobatic manoeuvres" and fell in a way that led to serious injuries and cardiac arrest, Mounties said.
Extreme Air Park said in January it was "devastated" by the death and customer safety is its highest priority.
The company owns three facilities in B.C. and one in Calgary.
In February, owner Michael Marti wrote a letter urging Premier John Horgan to create safety regulations for the trampoline-park industry.
Extreme Air Park facilities have strict safety protocols in place, but without regulations for the industry, the company has "focused on meeting and exceeding industry best practices," Marti said.
He said over one million people have visited his parks in B.C. but staff have only had to call the BC Ambulance Service 87 times, or one in approximately 11,550 guests.
Staff are told to call the ambulance service for any injury more than a scrape, and Greenwood's death was the first in any of the locations, he said.
