Trampolines, 2nd Only to Guns

It's peak season for trampoline injuries, most of which are minor bumps and bruises. But some people have been paralyzed and even killed on these backyard entertainment devices.

"Early Show" Consumer Correspondent Susan Koeppen reported there's a right way and a wrong way to jump on a trampoline. She said you should always jump in the middle, and only one person at a time.

Trampoline injuries led to 98,000 trips to the emergency room last year alone. Children are the most frequent victims, but adults are also getting hurt, sometimes with devastating consequences.

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Koeppen shared the cautionary tale of Ryne Cleary, who was just 5 years old when he got his backyard trampoline. It was one of the many outdoor activities he enjoyed with his dad, Kevin. Now all Kevin Cleary can do is watch his son play ball, all because of a wrong move on the family's trampoline.

Koeppen asked Ryne, "You blame yourself for what happened?"

Ryne replied, "Yes."

Koppen offered, "Because you asked him to do a back flip?"

Ryne answered, "He asked, I said, 'yes.'"

Kevin landed the back flip once, but on the second try, he says he came up short.

He told Koeppen, "I'm not too sure how, but I landed basically on my forehead."

Kevin suffered a severe spinal cord injury, and is now paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Kevin told Koppen he instantly knew something was wrong.

"I can to this day hear the crack."

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