A North Carolina family celebrated their toddler’s birthday Saturday with a popular party feature: a bounce house. They were soon horrified when the inflatable suddenly became airborne.
“You see him in the video as he heard the strap to the bounce house break so he was looking to see what it was,” said Jennifer Beane of her young son in a Facebook post. “Then the scariest thing happens and the wind picks it up and comes straight for him.”
Severe weather – including a tornado that touched down in New Orleans, La. – have moved through the Southern U.S. recently.
Beane, of Hickory, N.C., said the bounce house apparently grazed the child’s head as it flew through the air, collapsing in on itself.
Thankfully, there were no children inside when it took flight and nobody was hurt.
“It could have been much, much worse,” said Beane. “Please if you get a bounce house be sure to watch out for how bad the winds will be.”
According to the Consumer Protection Safety Commission, it is “important to remember, however, injuries can happen,” when summer comes around and bounce houses show up at more events across the country.
“If a bounce house is not properly secured to the ground, a gust of wind can send it airborne with children inside and the result can be tragic,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle in 2019. “If the tops of the trees are swaying, it may be too windy to let your child play inside of a bounce house.”
A report from the commission found that between 2003 and 2013, there were an estimated 113,272 emergency department-treated injuries associated with inflatable amusements and more than 90% were related to moon bounces or bounce houses. Over the 10-year period, there were 12 reported deaths linked to inflatable instruments.
Other than avoiding bounce house use when winds are over 15 miles per hour, the CPSC recommends following manufacturer instructions, anchoring bounce houses on flat, even surfaces, not putting them up near power lines, fences or trees and to make sure only children of the same size are in the inflatable together. Children should always be supervised by an adult when in a bounce house.
“Equally important, there should be proper oversight of each inflatable by parents or caregivers while in use or by staff from the company hired to operate it,” said the commission.
For Beane’s family, bounce houses may no longer be seen at family parties.
“Praise the lord everyone was safe. We just wanted to share what happened,” said Beane. “We are all still shaken up about it and Michael says we can’t have [any more] bounce houses in the future!”
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