What was supposed to be a high-energy birthday outing at Spy Ninjas HQ in Las Vegas ended with a trip to the emergency room and a scar that dad Frank Steele says he still sees in the mirror months later.
Steele says the injury happened last October while he was celebrating his son's birthday at the indoor adventure park. He told reporters he had been jumping alone on a trampoline when he struck a support beam, cutting his head and landing in the ER. He says the wound left a visible, lasting scar, and that he decided to speak out after a separate zip line fall at the park this winter put Spy Ninjas back under the microscope.
What He Told Reporters
Steele told 8 News Now he "just felt the blood rushing down my head" after the support beam sliced into him, later describing the gash as if "a spoon carved my head open." According to the outlet, Steele shared photos from the emergency room that showed him still wearing a Spy Ninjas wristband, and said an ambulance rushed him from the scene.
He also told the station that staff gave him a card that read "please contact me" following the incident, a detail that 8 News Now reported as part of its coverage of his account.
Another Child's Fall Brought The Park Back Into Focus
The renewed attention on Spy Ninjas comes after a separate accident on Feb. 7, when a 10-year-old named Knox fell more than 20 feet from the park's indoor zip line and suffered a concussion, according to People. In response, Spy Ninjas temporarily closed the zip line and rope courses, flew in an independent safety inspector and retrained staff before reopening those attractions, the company said.
The fall also drew wider media coverage, including a report on the 20-foot-plus plunge from the zip line.
Park Background And Response
Spy Ninjas HQ bills itself as a more than 50,000-square-foot, YouTube-inspired adventure park featuring trampolines, a 115-foot indoor zip line, axe-throwing lanes and escape rooms at 7980 W. Sahara Ave., according to the park's website. The venue opened in Las Vegas in 2024 as a project from YouTube creators Chad Wild Clay and Vy Qwaint, Las Vegas Review-Journal reporting shows.
The company has told reporters it is committed to guest safety and that it has been communicating with the family of the child who fell from the zip line.
Why Safety Advocates Raise Concerns
Long before these incidents, researchers were sounding alarms about trampoline park risks. A Pediatrics analysis found estimated U.S. emergency department visits for trampoline-park injuries jumped from roughly 581 in 2010 to about 6,932 in 2014. That peer-reviewed work, along with commentary from pediatric experts, has fueled calls for routine third-party inspections and tighter oversight at commercial parks.
For many parents, those numbers help explain why a single high-profile fall or one guest's story can reignite scrutiny of how safe these attractions really are.
What Comes Next
8 News Now reports it has reached out to Spy Ninjas for comment on Steele's account and is waiting for a response. Steele's decision to go public layers a personal story on top of broader questions about safety standards at high-energy family venues in Las Vegas, and local officials may be watching for any follow-up from regulators or new consumer complaints.
