Latest news with #bouncycastle
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Australian bouncy castle operator cleared over accident that killed six children
Sydney, Australia -- An Australian woman whose bouncy castle was blown into the air by a freak wind event, killing six children, was found not guilty Friday of failing to meet her health and safety duties. In December 2021, a gust of wind lifted the inflatable castle about 10 metres (33 feet) into the air while children were celebrating the end of their year at a primary school in Devonport, northern Tasmania. Six children died and three were seriously injured. Rosemary Gamble, owner of party equipment company Taz-Zorb that operated the bouncy castle, was charged with failing to comply with a workplace health and safety duty. She pleaded not guilty and on Friday the Devonport Magistrates Court dismissed the charges against her. Magistrate Robert Webster said the bouncy castle was lifted into the air by an 'unprecedented weather system, namely a dust devil.' 'Gamble could have done more or taken further steps however given the effects of the unforeseen and unforeseeable dust devil, had she done so, that would sadly have made no difference to the ultimate outcome,' Webster said in his decision. 'In those circumstances I find the charge is not proved. It is therefore dismissed.' 'No words' Gamble said she accepted how 'deeply and tragically this incident impacted so many people and families.' 'I realize those scars will remain for an extremely long time, likely forever,' she said in a statement to the Australian national broadcaster ABC. 'There are no words to describe how I have felt ever since that tragic incident took so much away from so many people and left nothing but heartbreak and emptiness in its place. 'I never meant for something like this to happen. And I am just so sorry that it did.' Andrew Dodt, the father of one of the children who died in the incident, said he had been 'broken for a long time.' 'And I think I'm going to be broken for a lot more,' Dodt said in a statement to the ABC. AFP
The Sun
a day ago
- General
- The Sun
Terrifying moment bouncy castle takes off in freak wind flying 40ft into air sending children plunging back to earth
THIS is the shocking moment a freak wind sent a bouncy castle soaring 40 feet up into the air, injuring two children. It unfolded at a fundraising day at a school in South Africa, where an unexpected gust flicked the castle into the sky. 5 5 5 Brief footage of the incident shows the large bouncy castle taking off as stunned onlookers scream in horror. Instead of dropping back down to earth, the inflatable continues to spiral upwards over Laerskool Protearif primary at Krugersdorp. But the most heart-stopping moment comes when two kids fall out of the floating castle. Terrified parents scramble to break their fall as they drop from the inflatable, no longer able to cling on. While the onlookers managed to form a human crash mat, the two kids are still reported to have been seriously injured. One of the children is understood to have suffered a fractured skull, and the other a broken arm. The bouncy castle later landed around 50 feet from where it took off. It is not known if any other children were on board at the time of the incident. A statement on the school's Facebook page confirmed that two kids had been taken to hospital following the incident. The fundraising event was attended by more than 1,000 parents, pupils and friends last Saturday. The school's statement reads: "It is with great gratitude that we are happy to share the very good news with you. "The two children who sustained injuries during the fracture accident at the Protea festival on Saturday were discharged from hospital on 31/5 and 3/6 respectively. "The necessary trauma-counselling was given to both children, as well as to their co-learners, who experienced the event and thank you all for standing together. "We thank you very much for everyone's positive support, help and prayers." The school, which has 620 pupils aged 6 to 13, previously hit headlines in 2017 when a tornado blew off its roof and destroyed its buildings. An eyewitness of the bouncy castle takeoff said: "When they fell I thought they were dead. "I was watching from a food stall with my girls when I heard screaming and turned around and just saw this blue, green and red thing shooting up to the heavens. "Then there was a huge scream when first one child and then another fell out but of all the places they could have landed it was right over a group of parents below. "They reached up their arms to try to catch the falling children and undoubtedly saved their lives or saved them from much worse injuries by cushioning them. "It was not a very windy day but it seemed this huge gust just came from nowhere and it was said the bouncy castle had not been secured to the ground." It is unclear from the footage if the bouncy castle had been securely tethered ahead of the incident. Melissa Vere Russel of ABC Jumping Castles, which was not the company used, said: "In high gusts a bouncy castle can act like a parachute and the wind can carry it away. "All castles are manufactured with mechanisms to secure them to the ground and failing to anchor them properly could end in disaster and could be fatal." It comes after an Australian bouncy castle operator was found not guilty of failing to comply with safety laws after the tragic death of six children in Tasmania when strong winds blew an inflatable into the air. The horror incident happened in 2021 when a bouncy castle was blown three feet into the air and landed in a tree 160 feet away. Six children died and three others were seriously injured. But owner of operator Taz-Zorb Rosemary Gamble was cleared of breaching work safety laws after the tragedy was ruled to be "due to an unprecedented weather system that was impossible to predict and avoid". Angry parents reportedly shouted at the bouncy castle owner after the verdict. Gamble's lawyer read a statement on her behalf, saying: "I never meant for something like this to happen. And I am just so sorry that it did. "I am a mother. I can only imagine the pain that other parents are living with each and every day because of this terrible thing that happened. "Their loss is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life." 5
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Terrifying moment two children cheat death after falling from bouncy castle blown 40 feet into the air during school fund-raiser
Terrifying footage captures the moment two children cheat death after falling from a bouncy castle blown 40 feet into the air by strong winds. The horror happened during a fund-raising day at a school in South Africa when an unexpected gust caused the apparently untethered inflatable to take flight. Witnesses at the Laerskool Protearif primary in Krugersdorp screamed in terror as the multi-coloured castle spiralled high into the sky. A shocked attendant watched helplessly as one of the children trapped on the inflatable was unable to hold on and plummeted to the ground below. Just moments later, a second youngster also lost their grip and plunged off the side of the castle. Quick-thinking parents at the event formed a human crash pad to break the pupils' fall, but despite their efforts, both children were still seriously injured. They were rushed to hospital where one was said to have a fractured skull and the other a broken arm. It is not known how many or if any other children were on board and managed to cling on inside the bouncy castle which landed about 50 feet from where it took off. The fund-raising event that nearly turned into a tragic disaster was held last Saturday on the school playing fields attended by over 1000 parents, pupils and friends. School headmaster Deon Lourens declined to comment but a statement on the school Facebook site confirmed two learners were rushed to the nearest A & E unit. It revealed that one child, thought to be the one with the broken arm, was released the same day, and the other with a fractured skull, was released three days later. The statement read that both children were receiving trauma counselling but added: 'It is with great gratitude that we are happy to share the very good news with you. 'The two children who sustained injuries during the fracture accident at the Protea festival on Saturday were discharged from hospital on 31/5 and 3/6 respectively. 'The necessary trauma-counselling was given to both children, as well as to their co-learners, who experienced the event and thank you all for standing together. 'We thank you very much for everyone's positive support, help and prayers' it said. An eye-witness with two pupils at the school, who asked not to be named for fear of getting her children into trouble, said: 'When they fell I thought they were dead. 'I was watching from a food stall with my girls when I heard screaming and turned around and just saw this blue, green and red thing shooting up to the heavens. 'Then there was a huge scream when first one child and then another fell out but of all the places they could have landed it was right over a group of parents below. 'They reached up their arms to try to catch the falling children and undoubtedly saved their lives or saved them from much worse injuries by cushioning them. 'It was not a very windy day but it seemed this huge gust just came from nowhere and it was said the bouncy castle had not been secured to the ground' she said. The school has 620 pupils aged 6 to 13 and last hit the headlines due to high winds when a tornado blew off its roof and destroyed its buildings in 2017. The 100mph tornado devastated a huge area of Johannesburg killing three people. A video of the incident was given to a local paper The Citizen by a concerned parent who said: 'I have looked at the video again and again and it appears untethered. 'While I saw that other inflatable structures were secured it did not look as if this jumping castle was tied to the ground in any way and went up about 3 storeys. 'I seriously hope lessons are learned for future school fundraisers' he said. It is unclear from the footage whether any ropes, tethers or anchoring mechanisms usually sold with the product were being used as they have to be by the law. Melissa Vere Russel of ABC Jumping Castles, not the company used, said: 'In high gusts a bouncy castle can act like a parachute and the wind can carry it away. 'All castles are manufactured with mechanisms to secure them to the ground and failing to anchor them properly could end in disaster and could be fatal'. The school's principal Deon Lourens declined to comment and his deputy Lauren van der Merwe said the matter had been referred to the Department of Education. A school spokesman added: 'There is a full and transparent investigation underway into what happened and it would inappropriate to comment until that is concluded'. Disasters on bouncy castles 'taking off' are not uncommon and a criminal trial into the death of 6 children killed in 2021 in Devonport, Tasmania, ended today. The fatalaties, including 3 serious injuries, happened at Hillcrest Primary School when a bouncy castle was blown 33 feet into the air and landed in a tree 160 feet away. The operator of Taz-Zorb who owned the inflatable Rosemary Ann Gamble was cleared of breaching work safety laws to the anger of parents by a magistrate. It ruled that the 'dust-devil' that hit the bouncy castle killing the children was 'due to an unprecedented weather system that was impossible to predict and avoid'. The victims 4 boys and 2 girls were all pupils aged between 11 and 12. Angry parents shouted at the bouncy castle owner after the verdict who sat quietly sobbing. An investigation by the Journal of Paediatric & Child Health in Australia after the tragedy collated incident from all around the world based on press reports. It found that between 2000 and 2022 that there had been 28 deaths and 484 children and people injured on airborne bouncy castles with a third in China. In 2018 two fairground workers were jailed for 3 years for the bouncy castle manslaughter on grounds of gross negligence after the death of Summer Grant, 7. The schoolgirl was on an inflatable that was blown away with her inside in Harlow, Essex, which cartwheeled 300 yards down a hill across a park and into a tree. In 2004 a 5-year-old boy died falling from a bouncy castle which was blown 20 feet up into the air and onto the pitch of a baseball stadium in Arizona by a gust. In 2006 two women aged 38 and 68 were killed at Riverside Park in Chester —le-Street, County Durham, falling out of an airborne inflatable but 30 survived. In 2024 the 2-year-old son of a Phoenix firefighter was killed when a bouncy castle at a house party in Casa Grand, Arizona, took off in high winds and he fell out. In the UK the Health & Safety Executive says inflatables by law must have at least six anchor points with high quality rope able to take high pressures at all points.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Australian bouncy castle operator cleared over freak ‘dust devil' tragedy that killed 6 children
An Australian woman whose bouncy castle was blown into the air by a freak wind event, killing six children, was found not guilty on Friday of failing to meet her health and safety duties. In December 2021, a gust of wind lifted the inflatable castle about 10 metres (33 feet) into the air while children were celebrating the end of their year at a primary school in Devonport, northern Tasmania. Six children died and three were seriously injured. Rosemary Gamble, owner of party equipment company Taz-Zorb that operated the bouncy castle, was charged with failing to comply with a workplace health and safety duty. She pleaded not guilty, and on Friday the Devonport Magistrates Court dismissed the charges against her. Magistrate Robert Webster said the bouncy castle was lifted into the air by an 'unprecedented weather system, namely a dust devil'. 'Gamble could have done more or taken further however, given the effects of the unforeseen and unforeseeable dust devil, had she done so, that would sadly have made no difference to the ultimate outcome,' Webster said in his decision.
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The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Australian bouncy castle operator acquitted in accident that killed six children
A bouncy castle operator was cleared of breaching safety laws in a 2021 tragedy that killed six children at a primary school in Australia. Six children died and three others were seriously injured after a gust of wind blew the jumping castle in the air in Tasmania during an end-of-year celebration in December 2021. Rosemary Anne Gamble, who was the owner of Taz-Zorb, which set up the equipment at the school, was accused of not following safety laws and securing the jumping castle. She had pleaded not guilty. On Friday, Ms Gamble was handed a not guilty sentence by Magistrate Robert Webster on charges of breaching workplace safety law. Mr Webster said the incident happened "due to an unprecedented weather system" that was "impossible to predict". "I am not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt of Ms Gamble's guilt to the charge in the complaint," Mr Webster said during the verdict. "In those circumstances, I find the charge is not proved, it is therefore dismissed." "Ms Gamble could have done more or taken further steps, however, given the effects of the unforeseen and unforeseeable dust devil, had she done so, that would sadly have made no difference to the ultimate outcome," the magistrate added. The families of the six victims expressed disbelief and anger over the not guilty verdict, saying their hopes for justice are 'shattered now'. In a statement read in court by Ms Gamble's lawyer, she accepted "how deeply and tragically this incident has impacted so many people and families". "I realise these scars will remain for an extremely long time, likely forever," Ms Gamble said. "There are no words to describe how I have felt ever since the tragic incident took so much away from so many people and left nothing but heartbreak and emptiness in its place." She said as a mother herself, she "can only imagine the pain that other parents are living with each and every day because of this terrible thing that happened". "There is not a moment that goes by where I don't feel so painfully and terribly sorry to every single one of those people that were impacted and continue to grieve for their loved ones." Those killed in the incident were: Chace Harrison, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Zane Mellor, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan and Peter Dodt. Peter's father, Andrew Dodt, who was at the courtroom, said he was broken for a long time and now he is going to remain the same. "I thank you for walking the path with us. It was a very long path … we've still got a long way to go. "Our hopes are just shattered now, at the end of the day all I wanted was an apology for my son not coming home and I'm never going to get it and that kills me." Georgie Burt, mother of Zane, lashed out at Ms Gamble and said she hopes she 'see them every time I miss a birthday, miss a Christmas'. "This outcome does not reflect the weight of our loss, nor the reality we live with every single day." The decision caps a lengthy legal battle four years after the incident happened. It took two years to have Ms Gamble charged in the case and 12 more months before the matter began its 10-day hearing process. During the hearing in November, it was alleged that she only used pegs at four of the castle's eight anchor points, despite the castle manufacturing company's two-page manual that recommended eight. Ms Gamble was let down by the castle's Chinese manufacturer, her lawyer Chris Dockray told the court. He argued that East Inflatable, a Chinese manufacturer of the product, failed to provide any instructions at the time of purchase and supplied only four pegs with the equipment. As a result, Ms Gamble downloaded a brief two-page manual from the company's website, which led her to believe that using four pegs was sufficient.
