A bouncing castle at a birthday party in Mexico was swept away, sending children flying through the air, one child is now fighting for her life.

Four children were hurt, one critically, when the bouncing castle was caught up in a freak wind in San Luis Potosi this week, local media reported.

Parents can be seen running to help the injured children, who were thrown across the play area, reports 9 news.

Local media reports seven-year-old Fatima Monserrat Palomares Ovalle was inside one of the castle’s tunnels when it was picked up by the gust of wind.

Young Fatima is now fighting for her life in hospital after suffering a serve head injury.

This is not the first case of similar accidents on a jumping castle

In 2016 we shared how fairground workers in the UK witnessed the tragic moment a young girl was flung into the air as she played on a jumping castle. Read more on that here. 

There was also the story of a three-year-old QLD girl who was taken to hospital after she fell eight metres from a jumping castle that became airborne. Read that here.

Kidsafe Victoria president Mark Stokes said in 2007 that a national safety standard should be implemented immediately to cut the death toll from the “toy”, which has been a popular feature of children’s birthday parties around Australia.

Dr Stokes said that statistics from the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit showed that in that state alone, 486 injuries were attributed to inflatable jumping castles in the past decade.

Monash University reported that over a decade, January 2001 to December 2010 there were 784 Emergency Department presentations in Victoria alone for injuries in children aged 0-14 related to ‘jumping castles’.

Most cases were treated in the ED and discharged home, 11% were more seriously injured and required admission to hospital for further observation and or treatment.

In Victoria in 2014, a jumping castle hired for a birthday party took flight, throwing out three teenagers as it was swept up in high winds. One girl was flown to the Royal Children’s Hospital in a serious but stable condition after she and two friends fell 3m from the airborne castle.

Important safety tips when hiring jumping castles via Kidspot
•Pay attention to the weather; avoid jumping castles on windy days
•Make sure the jumping castle has an anchorage system and is secured adequately
•Check the anchorage at regular intervals
•Check the jumping castle for any wear and tear that could result in it deflating and suffocating your child
•Make sure there are no sharp objects near the jumping castle
•Always use a safety switch on the power to the jumping castle (a residual current device – RCD)
•Use safety mats at entrance/exits
•Limit the number of children allowed in the jumping castle to limit collisions that could cause injury.
•Never allow older children to jump with younger children.
•Supervise children at all times when on the jumping castle for safety – treat the jumping castle similar to a swimming pool.
•If you are renting an inflatable jumping castle, ask about the operator’s experience, safety record and training requirements.
•Make sure the jumping castle is set up by trained professionals who are familiar with the equipment.
•Spend the extra money to have a trained operator supervising the jumping castle at all times.
•When hiring a jumping castle parents should ensure the operators have Public Liability Insurance and are familiar with both the equipment and AS 3533.4.1.

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Read more: The big dangers for children on a jumping castle

 

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