A two-year-old boy died in Casa Grande, Arizona, this weekend after an inflatable bounce house he was playing in blew away. Another child in the structure was injured.
At around 5 p.m. Saturday, a strong gust of wind lifted up the bounce house with multiple children inside and sent it flying into an adjacent lot.
The two-year-old was taken to the hospital where he died, while the other child who was also hospitalized received treatment for non-life threatening injuries, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said according to ABC News.
The bounce house was owned by one of the families whose children were playing in the structure. The injured child, a girl, suffered a broken arm, her family told KPHO-TV.
Neither victim was named by the sheriff’s office. The nature of the deceased’s injuries was also not disclosed.
“This appears to have been a tragic accident. We would like to extend our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the grieving family,” PCSO spokesperson Sam Salzwedel told local station KTAR-FM.
Some pediatric health experts say only children above a certain age can safely use a bounce house.
The Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, recommends that bounce houses be limited to those six years and older.
The hospital also said that bounce houses can be elevated by wind speeds as low as 13 mph.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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