Bounce Houses Bring Delight, But Injuries and Deaths Are Risks

Aug. 10, 2022 – No mother or father expects their youngster’s life to be in danger after they climb right into a bouncy fort, however windy days and poor laws can shortly flip glee into terror.

In the previous 2 many years, researchers discovered nearly 500 accidents and practically 30 deaths not solely from high-wind-related bounce home incidents, but in addition slip-ups in organising the favored toys. In one tragic incident, six youngsters in Australia died at college final 12 months after plunging over 30 toes out of a bounce home that was whisked into the air by a sudden gust of wind.

“Year after year, all over the world, inflatable houses are being carried away by the wind and causing unforeseen injuries and accidents,” says Thomas Gill, PhD, a professor of environmental science on the University of Texas at El Paso, who helped with a current examine on wind-related bounce home occasions. “Probably most of these incidents could have been prevented by careful planning, watching the weather, or being more diligent about securing the bounce house to the ground.”

Gill and his colleagues cataloged at the very least 28 deaths and 479 accidents from greater than 130 weather-related bounce home incidents worldwide – figures they are saying possible underestimate the issue. Between 2000 and 2021, bounce homes had been linked to almost 10,000 journeys to the emergency room within the U.S. alone for accidents like concussions, damaged bones, and muscle sprains.

The American Society for Testing and Materials, which regulates the usage of inflatables and bounce homes within the U.S., discourages the usage of bounce homes in winds greater than 25 mph until they’re anchored by knowledgeable engineer.

But 25 mph winds “are nowhere close to the winds required for a severe thunderstorm warning [58 mph] or a high wind warning [40 mph] in the United States from the National Weather Service,” says John Knox, PhD, a geography professor at Franklin College of Arts and Sciences in Athens, GA, who led the analysis. “Bounce houses can and do tip over, roll over, or get lofted in the air in non-severe winds, and it often happens during what most people would call ‘good weather.’”

Most of the injuries – more than 70% – happened during the passing of cold fronts, dust devils, or winds from thunderstorms. But at least one-third of the incidents occurred with winds below 20 mph, and some happened during clear skies, Knox says.

Bounce houses must always be anchored to the ground with sandbags or stakes, and always monitored by an adult, according to the researchers.

Only 19 states have regulations that specify what windspeeds are safe for inflatable houses, according to the study. The researchers created a website to document weather-related bounce house injuries, as well as provide safety tips for the public.

“It’s important for parents to pay careful attention to how bounce houses should be used and operated, whether at their homes for birthday parties, or at a school carnival, or wherever,” Knox says. “Also, be weather-wise, it doesn’t take bad weather to cause a problem.”