You finally caved to your kids’ demands and bought a massive, 14-foot trampoline for the backyard. You set it up, complete with a safety net, and the neighborhood kids flock to it. It’s a huge hit.
A month later, your son’s friend attempts a double front flip, bounces completely over the safety net, and lands awkwardly on the patio concrete. He shatters his femur. His parents are furious and sue you for the $40,000 surgical reconstruction. You casually call your homeowners insurance to file the liability claim, completely unaware that a piece of canvas and some springs just nullified your entire financial safety net.
The Brutal Truth: Why Standard Policies Deny This Claim
To an insurance actuary, a trampoline is not a toy. It is a terrifying liability multiplier.
When you file the claim for the broken leg, the adjuster will check your policy for the Trampoline Exclusion (often grouped with diving boards and zip lines). Many standard HO-3 Homeowners Policies have absolute exclusions for bodily injury arising from the use of a trampoline. If your policy has this exclusion, the carrier will completely deny the $40,000 claim and refuse to pay for your defense attorney.
Even if your policy doesn’t have an absolute exclusion, you are still in danger of the Concealment/Increased Hazard Clause. By bringing a trampoline onto the property without notifying the carrier, you materially altered the risk profile of the home. The carrier might pay the boy’s medical bills, but they will immediately issue a Notice of Cancellation, dropping you from the carrier and forcing you to disclose to future insurers that you were dropped for hazardous exposures.
How to Actually Protect Yourself (The Fix)
You cannot hide a trampoline, and you cannot rely on “but it had a safety net” as a legal defense.
- Disclose and Endorse: Before you buy the trampoline, call your broker. Ask if your current carrier permits them. Some carriers (like State Farm) will cover them if they are anchored and have a safety net. If your carrier strictly forbids them, you must switch carriers.
- Defeat the Attractive Nuisance: Trampolines are an Attractive Nuisance. If a trespassing neighborhood kid jumps on it while you aren’t home and breaks his neck, you are still liable. You must install a 6-foot privacy fence with a padlocked gate to prove you took reasonable steps to keep uninvited children out.
- Buy a Personal Umbrella Policy (PUP): A standard $300,000 liability limit is easily breached by a severe spinal injury. Buy a $1 Million Umbrella policy, and verify with your broker that trampolines are not excluded from the umbrella’s drop-down coverage.
The Claims Adjuster’s Secret
Do not think you can hide a trampoline in your backyard. Carriers now employ geospatial intelligence companies (like Cape Analytics) that fly low-orbit satellites and drones over neighborhoods on a rolling basis. The AI algorithms are specifically trained to identify the circular, blue outline of a trampoline from space. If the AI spots one in your yard and you haven’t endorsed it, my underwriting department will mail you a cancellation notice before a kid even takes their first jump.
The Verdict (TL;DR)
The Risk Level: Extremely High (Absolute exclusions mean guaranteed out-of-pocket lawsuits). The Solution: Call your broker to confirm trampoline eligibility, install a locked privacy fence, and buy an Umbrella Policy. Estimated Cost: $150 to $300/year for an Umbrella policy; carrier switching may vary.
A $300 backyard toy is the easiest way to void a $500,000 insurance policy; clear it with your underwriter before you open the box.