DIRECT EXAMINATION OF ROBIN HILL
Q: Tell the jury what your name is.
A: My name is Robin Hill.
Q: How old are you?
A: 14-years old.
Q: Did you know Wade Stark?
A: Yes, Wade and I were good friends. We attended the same school and lived in the same neighborhood.
Q: Did you see Wade on April 22, 2023?
A: Yes. I attended the soccer game that Wade played. I don’t play soccer, but I went to watch the game.
Q: Was Wade very athletic?
A: Yes, he was one of the athletic kids I knew. He biked, jogged, played soccer, and went to the trampoline park with me. He played Basketball for a local team and was even scouted by college teams!
Q: What happened during the game?
A: The team won. I watched Wade take many hard hits during the game. Once, he fell on his shoulders, neck, and head. Still, he bounced back up like nothing happened.
Q: What happened after the game?
A: I went onto the field after the game and talked to Wade. That’s when I found out they were going out for pizza and then to the trampoline park.
Q: What did you do?
A: I decided to go with the team. Another of my friend’s mom had taken us to the game and agreed to take us to the trampoline park after getting pizza.
Q: Did you go to the trampoline park?
A: Yes.
Q: Was that your first time at the trampoline park?
A: No, I have been to Springs Park Trampoline Park on many prior occasions.
Q: Can you describe what happened when you got there?
A: Normally, when you enter there are digital display screens that show both what the waivers look like, and which show the rules. However, the digital displays were not working on April 22, 2023. The I-pads that we usually use to sign the waivers were also not working so everybody had to line up to the counter to sign an actual waiver.
Q: Were your parents with you?
A: No.
Q: How were you able to get into the park without having a parent there to sign your waiver?
A: I signed my own waiver.
Q: How old were you at the time?
A: I was only 12.
Q: Did you indicate on your waiver that you were 12 years old?
A: No, I wrote 13 on the waiver so that I could get the wristband for the oldest group.
Q: What color was the wristband?
A: The wristband for people 13-and-up is/was red. The color for 12-year-olds was red.
Q: Did anybody at the trampoline park question you about you signing your own waiver?
A: No.
Q: Did anybody at the trampoline park question you about your age?
A: No.
Q: I am showing you what has previously been admitted into evidence as Exhibit 6 and ask you if you are familiar with it?
A: Yes. It is a diagram of the layout of the Springs Park trampoline park.
Q: Can you use this exhibit to explain your testimony?
A: Yes.
Q: Where did you first go after you were admitted to the trampoline park?
A: Wade and I first went to one of the basketball slam zones on the far side of the building.
Q: Did you, at some point, leave the basketball slam zone?
A: Yes. We were at the basketball slam zone and then went to the dodgeball zones. Wade wanted to go into the 13 and up room because that is where the rest of his team were.
Q: Did Wade have the appropriate wristband?
A: No, his wristband was red and he was not allowed in the room. Still, we went into the 13 and up dodgeball zone.
Q: Did anyone question Wade about the fact that his wristband would not permit him in that room?
A: No. No one ever asked him about his wristband, or seemed to notice who was in the room.
Q: Were wristbands checked often?
A: I don’t remember ever seeing anyone checking wristbands going into the different trampoline areas.
Q: Who was in the dodgeball zone for the 13 and up people?
A: There were a lot of older kids, a bunch of seniors and some people that looked like they were already in college.
Q: Were there any staff members in the room?
A: Yes. There were supposed to be two watchers, but one left soon after we arrived. Sometimes Jordan Banner, the manager, would step in. I feel like he was only there for the entertainment, though. He would urge kids to play harder and tell them to knock the other kids over.
Q: Can you describe the level of play?
A: Yes. The older guys were playing very rough.
Q: Did you and Wade get to play?
A: Yes. We had to sit for a while, while the first game was completed, but then when the next game started, we got to play.
Q: What happened to Wade?
A: After I got knocked out of the game, I saw what happened to Wade. There was an older guy that had been throwing directly at Wade. He got the ball and faked a hard throw at Wade. Wade went for the fake. The guy hurled the ball really hard at Wade after he jumped and the ball hit him in the left shoulder and knocked him off balance. He fell very badly with his neck and head hitting the edge of the mats where the trampoline meets the springs. There was a loud cracking noise and Wade did not move after he hit the ground.
Q: What happened next?
A: Things got very, very quiet and the Jordan Banner came into the room. He checked Wade for a pulse and then called 911. After the EMTs arrived, they put Wade in a neck collar and on a backboard and took him away in the ambulance.
Q: How good was the staff at Springs Park at monitoring the participants for safety?
A: The staff would let us get away with things that other places would not allow. We specifically liked to get multiple people on a trampoline to get a double bounce, which is timing your jump so that you can launch the person way high in the air. There were times when there would be no watchers in the dodgeball rooms at all. They were frequently short-staffed which kind of made it a free for all.