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REXBURG, Idaho — A Madison County mother is recovering from severe injuries after a 300-pound trampoline slammed into her during a windstorm.
Stacy and Dan Moss have lived in their Lyman home for nine years, and she says she's never seen wind as strong as it was Saturday afternoon around 4 p.m. Their backyard trampoline looked unstable, so the couple went outside to stake it in the ground.
"We were picking the yard up and getting stuff that had blown away. My husband was getting the stakes out, and I saw the trampoline start to hover," Moss tells EastIdahoNews.com. "My 8-year-old (Bree) was right there so I yelled, 'Run, run, run! Get out of the way!'"
At that moment, the trampoline lifted off the ground and blew straight toward Moss. She knew if she moved, it would hit Bree, so she braced herself for impact.
"I grabbed on the bars as well as I could, and it flipped me backwards. I kind of did a backflip with it, and the trampoline kept going another 100 yards or so," Moss recalls. "I was still so worried about my daughter, wondering if she was OK."
Bree was fine, but Moss, a mother of three, was in a lot of pain. Her husband took her to Madison Memorial Hospital, where an X-ray revealed her clavicle was broken. She also hurt her ribs and arms and got several bruises.
"I am so, so grateful Bree wasn't hurt," Moss wrote on her Facebook page after the incident. "I think she's emotionally scarred after seeing her mom get totally obliterated, but thankfully I'm OK."
The National Weather Service reports wind speeds of 30 mph with gusts up to 51 mph in nearby Thornton during the 4 p.m. hour Saturday. Strong winds are expected again on Tuesday, with a high wind warning in effect for most of eastern Idaho until 6 p.m. Tuesday. Winds between 30 to 40 mph are possible, with gusts up to 60 mph.
"Very difficult driving for high-profile vehicles and areas of blowing dust with poor visibility and possible highway closures will be the primary hazards with this event," the National Weather Service says.
NWS officials warn that damaging winds could blow down trees, power lines and yes, even trampolines.
Moss' trampoline is now a crumpled mess after taking down a tree while blowing across her property. She will meet with an orthopedic surgeon this week and may need to have a metal plate installed.
She hopes sharing her story will help remind others of how important it is to secure their property.
"You never know what could happen, and I'm so grateful Bree wasn't hurt," she says. "My first thought as the trampoline was coming at me was, 'I can't believe I'm going to die from a trampoline.' Luckily I didn't. Who wants that story?"
