CHP Officer Paralyzed At Fairfield Trampoline Park Proceeds With Lawsuit
FAIRFIELD (KPIX 5) -- A California Highway Patrol trooper who was injured in an accident at a Fairfield trampoline park is moving forward with a lawsuit, years after the accident left him temporarily unable to move or walk.
Diondre Hurn now walks with a hitch in his step, the only visible sign of his accident at Jump Highway on August 13, 2013. He said he never expected that the visit would change his life forever.
"I wouldn't wish it upon anyone," said Diondre. "The feeling of not being able to feel is mentally scary and scarring."
The Hurns were at the park with their three daughters as part of a church activity trip. Hurn's wife Deanna took their two youngest daughters to a toddler area to play while Diondre jumped from a trampoline into a pit filled with foam blocks with his older daughter.
"I jumped in on my second attempt and that's when I got injured," said Diondre. "I hear a pop and immediately I felt a hot sensation and no more feeling from my chest down."
Surveillance video from Jump Highway given to KPIX 5 by the Hurns' attorney shows both jumps. Minutes later, paramedics are seen putting Diondre on a gurney and pulling him out of the foam pit as his wife watches nearby.
"I was just thinking, 'I don't want him to die. I don't want him to die,'" said Deanna.
CBS News confirmed in the last seven years, at least six people have died at trampoline parks. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2017, almost 18,000 people wound up in emergency rooms due to trampoline park injuries. And yet, the parks operate in the United States with no federal oversight.
The Hurns' attorney, John Winer of Winer, McKenna, Burritt & Tillis, claims Jump Highway did not properly maintain or inspect their equipment and never showed the family a safety video.
"Their own safety procedures were not followed," said Winer. He said Diondre paid the price. After surgery, Diondre remained partially paralyzed for months, and doctors told him he might never walk again. But slowly, Diondre regained mobility, eventually learning to stand and walk on his own.
"It just slowly progressed from standing to taking a few steps, learning how to walk again and then going with a walker," he said.
"I would have to watch him through the pain, through the suffering, through the depression," said Deanna.
Jump Highway shut down and declared bankruptcy after Diondre's accident, which has delayed the Hurns' lawsuit for years. Winer said the courts have now cleared the way for the family to sue the defunct trampoline park's insurance company.
KPIX 5 reached out to the former owner of the trampoline park, Brian Galvond, but he did not return the call. The Hurns said no matter what happens with their lawsuit, they'll live with Diondre's injuries for the rest of their lives.
"I'm in pain and you kind of have to cope or deal with and fight through it," said Diondre.