Former trampoline park bosses face jail after people left with broken backs

The Tower Jump at Flip Out Chester was said by its directors to be the ‘largest in the world’

David Shuttleworth and Matthew Melling pleaded guilty to health and safety offences (Cheshire Live/MEN Media)

Two former directors of a trampoline park are facing prison after hundreds of accidents in just seven weeks saw 11 people fracture their backs.

David Shuttleworth and Matthew Melling, both 33, pleaded guilty to health and safety offences when they appeared at Chester Crown Court last month. They now face two years each in jail.

The “Tower Jump” in Flip Out Chester– where thrill-seekers leapt from 13ft high tower into a foam-filled pit – was described by bosses as the largest of its kind in the world when it was opened.

But the scale of the injuries got so bad, between December 2016 and February 2017, that local NHS orthopaedic surgeons launched an investigation with Accident and Emergency staff reporting a spike in patients.

Sarah McManus, then 29, is said to be among those hurt on the "tower jump" and launched legal proceedings in 2017 after she heard her “back crack”.

Sarah McManus launched legal proceedings after the jump in 2017 (ITV/YouTube)

She said: “As I landed it was just like someone had punched me in the stomach - it was awful pain. I couldn’t breathe I couldn’t talk and I did hear a crack.

"I followed the instructions on the sign and landed in the seated position as suggested, but when I hit the foam it felt like I’d been winded.

"I was barely able to breathe and couldn’t shout for help, so I had to throw some of the foam sponges in the air to get attention."

She added: "I was eventually fitted with a back brace that I wear daily and only remove to shower and sleep."

Following her injury, three other people suffered serious injuries on the tower in a single day, prompting Flip Out to remove the attraction.

Flip Out in Chester has removed the Tower Jump (ITV/YouTube)

Lucy Jones was also injured after leaping from the Tower Jump in January 2017 in front of horrified friends.

The teen, then 19, was rushed to the hospital with a broken back after claiming she lost all feeling in her legs.

Recalling the incident a year later, she said: “As I screamed in agony, my friends rushed over to help me. I landed in a seating position, as we’d been told to do.

“But, when I landed, I felt the worst pain I have ever been through in my whole life. For a while, I couldn’t breathe or feel anything.”

Just months before the injuries, Elliott Shuttleworth and business partner Matthew Melling were pictured celebrating after being named ‘Young Businesspersons of the Year’ at the Sentinel Business Awards.

Lorraine Burnett, director of operations at The Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust, told the Wrexham Leader in March 2017: "In recent weeks we have seen an increase in patients arriving in our accident and emergency department reporting injuries from trampoline activities.

"Our clinicians have met with local trampoline facilities to develop a link and share information about the types of injuries we are seeing.

“We are grateful to our emergency department and orthopaedic specialists for taking time out of their already pressurised schedules to support this work."

Chester Councillor Christine Warner, said last week: “Our Public Protection team always deal strongly with businesses who put residents or visitors to the borough at risk. This business had a total disregard for safety regulations.

“Injuries in this case included 11 fractured spines, as well as other serious injuries. Those injured on a daily basis included both adults and children.”

Sentencing for the two defendants was adjourned for pre-sentence reports with a date still to be decided.

Flip Out, which now operates under a different franchisee after being dissolved, said: “The incidents relate to a specific piece of equipment that was immediately closed.

“Our systems and procedures have evolved significantly since.”

They have been approached for further comment.