3-year-old girl killed after trampoline went airborne in ‘freak gust' of wind
A 3-year-old girl died after she was hurled from a trampoline that went airborne when a 'freak gust' of wind swept through her backyard in England last month, according to a report.
Felicity Keepin was playing outside at her Longney home on May 10 when a 'mini tornado' lifted the netted trampoline over a hedge and into a nearby field, where she was launched a considerable distance, officials and witnesses testified during a hearing Thursday, the BBC reported.
'I was cutting the grass hedge when I heard a noise which sounded like a freight train,' neighbor Adam Nash told the Gloucestershire Coroners' Court in a statement.
Advertisement
3 The toddler was airlifted to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, where she died a week later on May 17.
Google Maps
'I saw a mini tornado crossing the road, about seven-eight meters in width, which left a mark in the hedge.'
The toddler was airlifted to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, where she died a week later on May 17.
Advertisement
3 A neighbor told the Gloucestershire Coroners' Court that a 'mini tornado' caused the trampoline to go airborne.
íâ¢í²í³íµí½í¸í¹ íâíµíâ¬íËí¸í½í¸í½ – stock.adobe.com
Assistant Gloucestershire coroner Roland Wooderson ruled the death an accident and described the horrific incident as 'every parent's worst nightmare,' the outlet reported.
'Felicity was under the careful supervision of her mother, but this was an extraordinary, tragic and unforeseen accident,' he said during the inquest, noting that the 12-foot trampoline the grieving family had purchased a week prior to the fatal mishap was not anchored down.
'Completely out of the blue a freak gust of wind took the trampoline high into the air and over the hedge. And I don't use that expression 'freak gust' lightly.'
Advertisement
3 The coroner, who ruled the death an accident, said the trampoline wasn't anchored down.
Andreas Don Duering – stock.adobe.com
Wooderson said anchoring the trampoline may not have made a difference, but advised users to follow the manufacturer's instructions upon purchase.
'The public really do need to know the danger associated with these trampolines,' he added.
Advertisement
The youngster, who had a brother named Jack, was described by her heartbroken family as a 'treasured daughter' and a beloved sister and granddaughter, according to her obituary.
The tot's funeral was held Thursday morning, with attendees asked to wear something pink in her memory.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Bridgerton''s Genevieve Chenneour Breaks Her Silence on 'Life-Changing' London Robbery, Recalls 'Battle' of 'Life and Death'
Genevieve Chenneour has spoken out four months after she was the victim of an attempted robbery in a London coffee shop On ITV's This Morning, the 27-year-old actress revealed she was "threatened with being stabbed, so it became a real battle of, in my mind, life and death" The suspect was later identified as 18-year-old Zacariah Boulares, who is currently facing theft and assault chargesBridgerton actress Genevieve Chenneour is speaking out months after her phone was stolen and her life was threatened in a London coffee shop. Chenneour was in a Joe & the Juice in London in February when her phone was stolen off the table behind her and she pursued the robber to get it back, according to footage obtained by BBC. The 27-year-old actress, who played Clara Livingston in season 3 of the hit Netflix series, said that the altercation became a matter of "life and death" in her mind during a June 12 interview on ITV's This Morning. On the morning show, Chenneour said she was "shocked" when she first saw the surveillance camera footage from inside the cafe of the attack. "I didn't even remember my reaction and I thought it was way longer than it actually was. That moment before anything happened, I thought it was about 20 seconds, but it was milliseconds," she recalled. She said that had 'a bit of a sixth sense that something wasn't quite right" in the moments before the suspect — who was identified as 18-year-old Zacariah Boulares and is expected to be sentenced over theft and assault charges at Isleworth Crown Court on June 17, per the BBC — attempted the robbery. "As a woman you have that kind of intuition, and I could feel people moving around me in a different way, but I only became aware of it once the incident had happened, in hindsight," she said of her quick reaction to the theft. "But I did feel — they were going back and forth trying to find a target,' she added. In the surveillance footage, Chenneour reacted quickly to Boulares' theft, spinning around and trying to get the phone back from him while another customer helped her. She said on This Morning that there was "about five minutes" of an altercation that followed "and it turned into a full-on scrap with two people." "I was threatened with being stabbed, so it became a real battle of, in my mind, life and death. So I did things, like, I remember kicking him back with my leg to create space in case he had a weapon on him," she recalled. "It was just a life-changing, crazy moment.' Given the incident happened in February, she said it has lasting consequences for her, as it "made me quite agoraphobic." "Leaving the house was quite hard," she admitted. When asked what made her instantly react and fight back after she noticed her phone was taken, the actress said she has "very quick reactions thanks to having three brothers growing up," and also revealed that she's trained in boxing, which helped too. "I don't know what came over me. I thought that was a normal reaction," she said. "And then I read all the comments and realized, actually, a lot of people would just let them take the phone." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Still, she said, "I don't know if I would advise anybody else to do it." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
BBC will not appeal against Adams' defamation case victory
The BBC will not appeal over Gerry Adams' defamation victory against the organisation. Mr Adams, a former president of Sinn Fein, said there needed to be 'substantial reform' of the broadcaster. Mr Adams took the BBC to court over a 2016 episode of its Spotlight programme, and an accompanying online story, which he said defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson, in which he denies any involvement. Last month, a jury at the High Court in Dublin found in his favour and awarded him 100,000 euros (£84,000) after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article. The BBC, which was found by the jury not to have acted in good faith nor in a fair and reasonable way, was also ordered to pay the former Sinn Fein leader's legal costs. After the decision, the broadcaster's legal team was granted a stay in the payment of the full award as it took time to consider an appeal. However, on Friday, the BBC confirmed it would not pursue an appeal. A spokesperson said: 'We have given careful consideration to the jury's decision. 'We will not be appealing its verdict, bringing this matter to a conclusion. 'We remain committed to public interest journalism and to serving all BBC audiences.' In a statement issued through the Sinn Fein press office on Friday, Mr Adams said: 'The decision not to appeal by the British Broadcasting Corporation has to be followed by a substantial reform of its internal journalistic processes and a recognition that it cannot continue to be a voice for the British state in Ireland. 'It must also become more accountable to the public. 'The Dublin Court found the BBC guilty of libel and rejected its claim that its journalism was fair and reasonable and in the public interest. 'The British Broadcasting Corporation is a public service provider. There is an onus on the BBC to ensure that in the future its ethics and journalism reflect the principles and values of a public broadcast service. 'As I have already said the damages will be donated to good causes.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
BBC will not appeal Gerry Adams' libel case victory
The BBC has confirmed that it will not be appealing Gerry Adams' libel case victory. The former Sinn Féin leader sued the corporation over a 2016 BBC Northern Ireland Spotlight story and online article on the murder of British agent Denis Donaldson. Last month, a jury found Mr Adams, 76, was defamed when it was alleged by an anonymous contributor that he sanctioned the 2006 killing and awarded him €100,000 (£84,000) in damages. The combined legal costs of both parties is estimated at between €3-5m (£2.5-4.2m), according to sources with knowledge of the case. A BBC spokesperson said: "We have given careful consideration to the jury's decision. "We will not be appealing its verdict, bringing this matter to a conclusion. We remain committed to public interest journalism and to serving all BBC audiences." In a statement Gerry Adams said the decision should be "followed by a substantial reform of its internal journalistic processes and a recognition that it cannot continue to be a voice for the British state in Ireland". "It must also become more accountable to the public," he added. "There is an onus on the BBC to ensure that in the future its ethics and journalism reflect the principles and values of a public broadcast service. "As I have already said the damages will be donated to good causes."
