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9-year-old boy injured after bounce house flies into highway

On Behalf of | May 18, 2018 | Premises Liability |

Bounce houses are a popular activity for children at birthday parties in West Virginia and across the United States. Safety concerns with bounce houses were raised again during a recent incident in California. A 9-year-old boy received minor injuries when the bounce house in which he was playing was picked up by high winds and flew onto a busy highway approximately a quarter of a mile away.

The bounce house rolled onto the highway, where it struck a car, which caused the boy to roll out. The child sustained minor injuries, and the driver of the car was unharmed. Authorities say that the incident could have turned tragic had the child been injured by a passing vehicle after rolling from the bounce house.

The incident is the latest accident involving bounce houses. In 2014, two boys in New York suffered injuries when they were thrown approximately 20 feet from a bounce house and landed in the parking lot of an apartment building. In 2017, five children in South Carolina were injured when a bounce house at a church carnival flew into the air. Safety experts recommend that those installing the bounce houses ensure that the structure is properly secured to the ground at a 45-degree angle via stakes that are at least 18 inches long in order to prevent accidents.

Injuries from accidents often result in medical bills, loss of work and pain and suffering. A personal injury lawyer may be able to file a civil suit in order to help the victim or family members of the victim receive compensation. In order to do so, it’s important that there is evidence of negligence. In this case, a lawyer may be able to file a suit against the bounce house rental company if stakes, tethers and proper instructions were not provided to those renting the bounce house.