Gruesome injury adds to long list of 911 calls from Wrentham go-kart track

WRENTHAM, Mass. — A new entertainment center in Wrentham promises “something for everyone" in your family. Supercharged Entertainment in Wrentham has indoor go-kart tracks, a ninja warrior course, and a trampoline court.

But in the six weeks since it opened, Boston 25 uncovered an alarming number of injuries to adults and children.

In fact, we were in the Wrentham Fire Department gathering injury reports for this story when a call came in for an 8-year-old boy inside Supercharged who may have broken his shoulder. We followed firefighters to Supercharged and learned the boy did have to go to the hospital.

He is the latest in a series of bad injuries at this brand new complex.

According to records from the Wrentham Fire Department, emergency responders have been called to Supercharged for injuries eight times since June 14.

Every person had to go to the hospital:

• June 14: 10-year-old breaks his leg on "red ball jumps"
• July 2: Chest injury
• July 6: Go-kart injury
• July 6: "Floating Stairs" injury
• July 7: Go-kart injury
• July 13: Red ball jumps injury
• July 28: Go-kart injury
• Aug. 1: 8-year-old injures shoulder 
  

A Quincy woman named Jessica didn’t want to be identified but said her sister’s leg was crushed when another go-kart landed on top of her on Sunday.

"Her go-kart just went flying over her and landed on top of my sister," Jessica told Boston 25 News. "I was like, Oh my gosh, her leg was torn apart...I just hope she doesn't lose her leg. And the paramedics said this is not the first time it happened, that they've been called there before."

We checked and records show the Wrentham Fire Department has been called to Supercharged for injuries eight times since June 14. Every one of those patients -- including a 10-year-old boy who broke his leg -- had to go to the hospital.

Thursday afternoon, while paramedics treated an 8-year-old boy with a shoulder injury, a public relations representative allowed us to come inside. That’s where we met with the general manager, Mike Dawson.

"I wouldn't say [Supercharged is] risky," he said. "It's a place where you need to be cautious of what you're doing."

Dawson showed us the electronic kiosks where customers sign waivers acknowledging the risk for injury.

There is a height requirement when it comes to the go-karts. You have to be 58 inches (1.47 m) tall, or 4 feet, 10 inches. There's also a long list of warnings and safety procedures for the trampoline court. But the injury reports show those warnings haven’t kept people from getting seriously hurt in a short period.

Dawson said he doesn't believe anything needs to change at this point.

When asked if the place is safe, he said, "a hundred percent."

The CEO of Supercharged sent us a statement that reads in part:

"Our track and Ninja park were constructed by the industry leaders in safety. Every member of our team has been through extensive safety training, and we’re proud that our staff responded so quickly to those who needed assistance."

The owner of Supercharged, Steve Sangermano, took issue with our reporting and said they've had 65,000 customers since June. He said the number of people hurt is a small percentage.

"You have a one in eight thousand chance of getting hurt. Would you say that's good or bad?" Sangermano said. "When you have a massive amount of people being entertained, there are some injuries at times."

Sangermano insisted they're doing everything they can to keep people safe.

"Would you like me to implement bubble wrap around everybody when they come in?" he said.

After Boston 25's report aired Thursday night, another parent said their child was hurt at Supercharged.

This time, it was a 15-year-old girl who smashed her face after crashing in a go-kart. The father of the girl said the impact was so severe it left seatbelt burns on her shoulder and badly injured her nose.

“Her helmet, mask, and helmet flew up and broke her nose," the father from Easton said. "They need to let people know that this is not your everyday Cape Cod go-kart experience.”

On Friday, we went online and filled out the Supercharged waiver to see what's actually in the fine print.

Jared Ballin, a personal attorney in Foxborough, said any liability waiver carries weight.

"They're usually enforceable. I would encourage anybody going to a facility like this, you need to be careful with what you're signing,” Ballin said.

One section of the Supercharged waiver said a customer who signs the waiver "releases and holds Supercharged harmless from liability for any such injury or damage, including any injury that may result from Supercharged’s negligence.”

Ballin said anyone who has gotten injured at Supercharged should contact an attorney right away even if they signed a waiver so that they can begin preserving pieces of evidence (like video) before it's erased.

Cox Media Group