A five-year-old boy has died and another child was left injured after an inflatable bounce house lifted off into the air before crashing down on the field during a baseball game in Maryland.
The accident occurred at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf on Friday night, where families had gathered to watch the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs play.
Eyewitnesses described the heart-stopping moment a sudden gust of wind sent the bounce house – with children still inside – soaring ’15 to 20 feet’ into the air.
Emergency services rushed to the scene at about 9:20 pm, but despite their best efforts, the young boy from La Plata couldn’t be saved.
He was airlifted to a nearby children’s hospital where he was tragically pronounced dead.
A five-year-old boy has died and another child was left injured after an inflatable bounce house lifted off into the air before crashing down on the field during a baseball game in Maryland
The accident occurred at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf on Friday night, where families had gathered to watch the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs play
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Firefighter's son, 2, is killed after gust of wind lifted bounce house during party and sent it flying into neighboring yard
A second child was also injured but their condition is not thought to be life-threatening.
The Blue Crabs have cancelled their upcoming game and are offering counseling to the devastated families.
Courtney Knichel, General Manager of the Blue Crabs, said: ‘Our entire organization shares our condolences with the family mourning the loss of a child, and concern for the child who was injured.’
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with them all,’ she added.
Charles County Government Commissioner President Reuben B. Collins, II, Esq. also expressed his deepest sympathies.
‘We extend our deepest empathy to the children and their families during this difficult time,’ he said. ‘We thank our EMS team and the Maryland State Police for their swift actions to ensure the children received immediate care.’
The Blue Crabs have cancelled their upcoming game and are offering counseling to the devastated families
Eyewitnesses described the heart-stopping moment a sudden gust of wind sent the bounce house – with children still inside – soaring ’15 to 20 feet’ into the air
Courtney Knichel (pictured), General Manager of the Blue Crabs, said: ‘Our entire organization shares our condolences with the family mourning the loss of a child, and concern for the child who was injured’
In April, a An Arizona firefighter’s toddler died after a bounce house was lifted into the air by a strong gust of wind and landed in a neighbor’s garden.
The tragedy, which also injured another child, occurred at a children’s birthday party in Casa Grande on Saturday.
The two-year-old, named by a family friend as Bodhi, was rushed to a local hospital but later pronounced dead, according to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.
The second child was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Bounce houses cause many injuries each year, with at least 28 deaths and 479 injuries due to wind-related bounce house accidents from 2021 to 2022, according to a study from the University of Georgia.