5 Children Die in Wind Related Bouncy Castle Accident in Australia

[Randy Jennings]

"Five children died and four others were seriously injured on Thursday (Wed evening 12/15 in the US) after suffering a steep fall when a gust of wind flung a bouncy castle and several inflatable “zorb” balls into the air at a school in Australia.

The school, located on the island state of Tasmania, was holding a celebration to mark the end of the year when a "significant local wind event" caused the items to be thrown into the air and the nine students to fall from a height of around 10 meters (33 feet), police said.

The children who died included two boys and two girls in year 6, which would make them 10 or 11 years old, according to Tasmania police Commissioner Darren Hine, who said an investigation was underway. Police later Thursday confirmed a fifth child died in the hospital.

Authorities initially reported five children were being treated for injuries, including four in critical condition. Police could not provide any updates to NBC News on the condition of the four other children hospitalized hours after the earlier release."

Full story: 5 Children Die in Bouncy Castle Accident in Australia – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth (nbcdfw.com) and At Least Five Children Dead And Several Others Injured In Bouncy Castle Accident In Australia (forbes.com) + may other media outlets.

 

[John Farley]

So sad to see. This is a known hazard, as similar events have happened in the past. Totally preventable imho.

 

[Jeff Wright]

More common than I thought

New Study Warns Of Bounce House Dangers - Videos from The Weather Channel

A new study found that bounce houses can tip, roll or be lofted into the air even during good weather, and parents should pay close attention to how and when they are used. <a href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/aop/BAMS-D-21-0160.1/BAMS-D-21-0160.1.xml" target="_blank">To see...

weather.com

 

[NancyM]

We had a bouncy house for an event at a library where I worked. It came with warnings not to use it when wind speeds were beyond a certain point and we had a nice, but windy day. So we had to wait until the wind diminished before letting kids in. Our challenge was knowing how to find the current wind speed.

I wonder how many places that use these are aware of the wind limitations, and how many just ignore them.

 

[Jeff Wright]

Umbrellas can be a hazard too

Husband of woman, who died after she was impaled by a beach umbrella, speaks out

Tammy Perreault was at Garden City Beach — about 20 minutes south of Myrtle Beach — when the umbrella was carried by the wind and struck her.

www.today.com

Shades of a Tardis

Video: Port-A-Potties Fly Through The Air In Windstorm

Sudden high-speed winds in Commerce City, Colorado, knocked down tents and blew port-a-potties throughout the sky in video that has since spread rapidly across social media.

www.newsweek.com