Wisconsin State Senator pushing for trampoline park regulations

MADISON (CBS 58) -- There are currently no laws in Wisconsin that regulate trampoline park safety measures.

Senator Chris Larson of Milwaukee wants to change that, especially since the issue has personally affected his family.

Senator Larson says what was supposed to be a fun outing for his family at a trampoline park earlier this year turned into an emergency.

"We took her to the ER to get her checked on. Did an x-ray and turns out she had broken her leg."

Larson's 4-year-old daughter is better now after her injury, but after doing research of his own, he's looking to regulate the industry in Wisconsin to protect other families. 

"When they go in there, they think these things are checked out, they have to pass inspections, they think they have to report their injuries and none of that is true," said Sen. Chris Larson.

ER visits due to trampoline park injuries have gone up from 2,500 in 2013 to nearly 18,000 in 2017 according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

A recent CBS News report found six trampoline park-related deaths since 2012.

"They don't have to keep a minimum level of liability insurance, they don't have to keep track of their injuries, they're not subject to the same level of inspection as even as a bouncy house would be."

Larson says he's looking to see if a simple rule change can allow trampoline parks to be regulated like other amusement rides. If not, he'll pursue to get a bill passed. 

"We're not trying to put them out of business, we're trying to make sure they're a safe business and operating safely for our state."

The International Association of Trampoline Parks says that they'll welcome the opportunity to work with lawmakers to develop responsible industry regulation.