The injuries happen when the equipment works exactly as designed.

Participant accident

Pays the medical costs of someone injured while taking part — a player, a camper, a rider — without anyone having to establish that the organisation was at fault.

Without it — A jumper lands badly through nobody’s fault, and this is what pays their medical bills.

General liability

Third-party bodily injury and property damage — the line nearly every contract names by default.

Without it — Claims that the park, the layout or the supervision caused the injury.

Commercial property

Buildings and contents, valued at what it costs to rebuild today rather than what you paid.

Without it — The courts, the foam, the structures and the building holding them.

Business income

Replaces the profit and pays the ongoing bills while a covered loss keeps you closed — the part of a fire claim that is not the building.

Without it — Closure in a school holiday removes a disproportionate share of annual revenue.

Umbrella & excess liability

Extra limit stacked above general liability, auto and employers liability. Usually the cheapest million dollars on the policy.

Without it — Landlords and franchisors specify limits above primary as a condition of the lease.

Employment practices liability

Wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment claims brought by your own employees. General liability specifically excludes these.

Without it — Young seasonal staff at volume, hired and released quickly.

Workers compensation

Required in almost every state the moment you have employees. Priced on payroll and class code, which is why the class code is worth arguing about.

Without it — Court monitors are on their feet among jumpers all day.

Sexual abuse & molestation

Covers allegations of abuse by staff or volunteers. General liability usually excludes it outright, and any organisation working with children, patients or vulnerable adults will be asked to carry it by name.

Without it — Unaccompanied children and parties are part of the business model.

Why is this class so hard to insure?

Because the frequency is real and it is nobody’s fault. Trampoline injuries — ankles, knees, occasionally spines — occur at a rate that has nothing to do with negligence, on equipment functioning correctly, and a liability policy is a poor instrument for that. Several carriers entered the class as parks expanded, absorbed the loss experience, and left. What is left underwrites operations closely, which is good news for a well-run park and expensive for one that is not.

What is the single biggest thing we can do about our price?

Court monitoring, documented. Ratio of monitors to jumpers, their training, enforced rules on double-bouncing and flips, separation of ages and sizes, and an incident log that shows the rules are actually applied. Underwriters in this class are pricing supervision more than equipment, because supervision is what changes the injury rate.

Does participant accident cover reduce our liability claims?

It genuinely does, and that is the commercial argument for it. If an injured jumper’s medical bills are paid promptly without anyone having to establish fault, a large share of what would otherwise become liability claims never becomes one. It is cheaper than the litigation it prevents, and parks that carry it typically show a better liability record for exactly that reason.

How participant accident works