A jumping castle was only secured at four of its eight anchorage points when it became airborne at a school’s end-of-year celebrations killing six children, court documents have alleged.
Chace Harrison, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Zane Mellor, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan and Peter Dodt died after the incident at Hillcrest Primary School in Tasmania on December 16, 2021.
In November, Taz-Zorb, the operator of the jumping castle, was charged with a category two offence under the Work Health and Safety Act 2012.
It is alleged Taz-Zorb failed to comply with a health and safety duty in a way that exposed the children to a risk of death or serious injury.
In a document filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, it is alleged the jumping castle was only anchored down to half of its anchorage points, the ABC reported.
Hillcrest Primary School students Zane Mellor, 12, Peter Dodt, Addison Stewart, Chace Harrison, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones and Jye Sheehan (pictured clockwise from top left) died in the jumping castle tragedy
The pegs were also allegedly not secured at a 45-degree angle and were not the pegs recommended by the manufacturer to hold down the jumping castle.
The manufacturer’s instructions said all eight anchorage points were needed in securing the jumping castle, and that all the pegs were available on the day of the tragedy, the DPP alleges.
‘The defendant failed to ensure that the anchorage system was sufficient to prevent lift of the inflatable device,’ the document said.
The matter will return to Devonport Magistrates Court in February.
During the tragedy that rocked the country, three other students were also seriously injured.
Flowers and messages of support were left in Market Square in Tasmania on the first anniversary of the tragedy
Students had been celebrating their graduation when the jumping castle was suddenly swept upwards, with children still bouncing on it.
ns raised $1.4 million for the families of the victims, although it wasn’t released until March, 2022.
As a result of the tragedy several organisations have banned the use of all inflatables on their properties, including the Tasmanian Department of Education.