A trampoline park patron is suing the operator for negligence, claiming she will never walk again.
Sarina Walker, 45, of Lara in Victoria's south, has launched Supreme Court of Victoria action against Bounce Australia over the December 20, 2023, incident at the company's Grovedale centre in Geelong.
According to court documents filed last week, Ms Walker was jumping on the trampolines when she 'landed awkwardly and fell backwards landing on her neck'.
She alleges Bounce owned, operated, or managed the premises and breached its duty of care, causing her injury, loss, and damage.
She is seeking undisclosed damages, interest, and costs.
Bounce is a major Australian chain of indoor trampoline parks and freestyle adventure centres.
Each venue is typically a large indoor playground featuring interconnected trampolines, cliff jumps into giant airbags, wall-running, ninja obstacle courses, dodgeball, slam-dunk zones, climbing walls, and dedicated kids' areas.
Ms Walker's young son had been an avid fan of the trampoline centre, with the family often visiting the local venue.
Sarina Walker in hospital after breaking her neck at a Bounce Australia playcentre near Geelong in 2023
Bounce Australia's Grovedale facility where the tragic accident happened
Her husband Blair has given a heartbreaking account of her ordeal in a series of Facebook updates.
In the days after the accident, Ms Walker lay in intensive care with a broken neck and a serious spinal cord injury.
Doctors told the family she would not walk again and that she had exceptionally limited use of her arms.
She was breathing through a tube in her throat and being fed through a nasal tube.
Yet her husband said her spirit remained unbroken.
'She is lying in the ICU, broken neck, serious spinal cord injury, having been told she will not walk again, with exceptionally limited use of her arms, breathing through a tube down her throat, eating through a tube up her nose... and here she is telling me she is optimistic,' he wrote at the time.
'It's both painful, and beautiful. Her spirit is unbroken, she truly is a force of nature.'
As her sedation was reduced, the couple began communicating through blinks, a spelling board, and charades.
Sarina Walker has suffered a long and painful road to recovery
Sarina Walker's loving husband Blair has become her full-time carer
Sarina Walker is suing Bounce Australia
Ms Walker confirmed she understood where she was, what had happened, and her prognosis.
The pair shared a cry, but she still expressed hope.
Mr Walker said he reminded her that even if she never walked again, mobility and independence were still possible, whether in a wheelchair, on crutches, or with a frame.
The family has since marked significant milestones, with Ms Walker transferred to the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre for three to six months of intensive physiotherapy and occupational therapy after spinal specialists praised her progress.
Mr Walker also bought a $15,000 modified van so his wife could sit in the front passenger seat beside him rather than in the back.
'Sarina will be able to participate in family life again,' he said after their first short outing to buy groceries.
The couple have thanked supporters who donated to a GoFundMe appeal and offered help during what Mr Walker described as a cost-of-living crisis over Christmas.
Daily Mail contacted Bounce Australia for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Sarina Walker's son (pictured) had loved playing at Bounce before the tragic accident
The price of pain. Sarina Walker is taking on Bounce Australia
Inside the Bounce Australia Grovedale facility where Sarina Walker was injured
The case is listed in the Personal Injuries List and is expected to proceed in Melbourne with a judge-only trial.
It is not the first time Bounce's Grovedale facility has been at the centre of legal action.
In September 2024, the County Court of Victoria more than tripled a fine against Bounce Australia to $40,000 after the company pleaded guilty to failing to protect non-employees from health and safety risks.
The original $12,500 fine imposed by the Geelong Magistrates' Court in March 2024 was set aside on appeal.
The prosecution stemmed from a May 2022 incident involving an 11-year-old boy and two friends who were using the climbing wall area.
Each wall had an auto-belay system: climbers were required to clip a carabiner from a floor mat onto their harness before climbing.
In his excitement to race a friend, the boy failed to notice the system was still retracted at the top of the wall.
Believing he was already clipped in because the mat was on the floor, he climbed to the top, pressed the timer button, and pushed off.
Sarina Walker in happier times with husband Blair
Sarina Walker and husband Blair in their blacksmithing stand before the accident
Instead of being lowered safely, he fell four metres to the ground.
He was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a fractured sternum and soft-tissue injuries to his back.
WorkSafe's investigation found Bounce lacked adequate systems to supervise customers in the climbing area or properly brief them on safety rules.
The court ruled it was reasonably practicable for the company to have introduced measures such as a one-to-15 staff-to-customer supervision ratio, separate staff for harness fitting, restrictions on unaccompanied children under 12, a documented activity plan, mandatory safety videos with knowledge checks, and requiring a parent or guardian to be present for younger children during briefings.
WorkSafe Executive Director Sam Jenkin described the incident as a 'nightmare' that should never have happened, stressing that high-risk adventure activities require proper supervision and clear instruction, especially for children.
In 2013, a man sued after fracturing his tibial plateau while playing trampoline dodgeball at the Glen Iris venue.
A County Court jury found the risk was inherent in the activity and that he had voluntarily accepted it.
The Victorian Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal, with Bounce successfully defending the claim.
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