No doubt you have seen them and your kids have jumped around in them -- those big inflatables that schools, churches and birthday parties rent.
They're not all fun and games. Nationwide, the inflatables have resulted in a surprising number of dangerous incidents, including one last week in Middletown, Ohio, where
an inflatable ride flew 40 feet into the air with an 11-year-old boy inside. (
See photos of this incident here.)
Earlier this year, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati had ordered that these kinds of attractions no longer be allowed at church functions.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported:
"According to partial information collected by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there have been at least three deaths and more than 70 injuries requiring hospitalization since 2005 on inflatable rides -- ranging from major head trauma and broken necks to fractured limbs and sprained knees.
"'They look rather benign ... but as far as injuries go with respect to general bumps and bruises, they are more frequent on those types of devices,' said James Barber, communications chairman for the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials, a national advocacy group representing ride inspectors and officials. 'If they aren't closely monitored by the attendant, you can get a 3-year-old in there with a 10-to-12-year-old with a 40-pound difference, and that's when you get injuries. Either that, or they just don't know how to secure it properly.'"
"'But I will say that a lot of the time, it is the users doing something crazy that lead to accidents.'"
Look at this
list from rideaccidents.com, a Web site that has tracked park accidents for years. The links I posted below represent just a portion of the site's collection:
Inflatable slide collapses (May 30, 2008)Inflatable slide collapses; seven injured (June 15, 2008)Inflatable slide accident; four children injured (July 9, 2008)Inflatable ride injury (July 26, 2008)Inflatable ride flips over in wind, hits steel pole; five children injured (Aug. 2, 2008)Inflatable ride death (Sept. 30, 2008)Another Titanic inflatable topples over; children injured (Oct. 1, 2008)Boy, 3, injured in inflatable play center (March 8, 2009)Bounce house dangers exposed, companies lack insurance (March 17, 2009)Teen paralyzed after flip on inflatable ride (June 21, 2009)
Inflatable rides are sometimes run by folks who have no experience working with such contraptions, and they do not always get inspected with the same rigor as amusement park rides.
It might be interesting to
invite a ride safety expert to go with you to inspect these kinds of attractions.
