Australia - 6 children die, several injured, jumping castle blown in air, Tasmania,16 Dec 2021

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Eloise said:
indeed, it seems quite small. It's been years since my children went on jumping castles but when they did they were at a big market with a side show, and the inflatables were way bigger than this with big engine things and the operators were scrupulous about clearing them out or even deflating them in windy weather.

if it was hired as a 'self operation' kind of deal rather than coming with an experienced operator, then I'd imagine the trauma and guilt of the school staff would be compounded many times over. I've read nothing about who the operator is, or if they had staff on site.
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In the area where I live these castles are very popular, parents rent them for birthday parties, neighbors go together to rent them for block parties.

There are several “bounce house” rental companies here, they deliver, set up, and return to take down but supervision is left up to the parents.
 
SouthAussie said:
There is a Herald Sun article that identifies the hire company as Taz-Zorb Launceston.

The article says that the owner of the company has 'gone to ground'. That the company's FB page and website have both been removed.

The company supplied the jumping castle and the zorb balls.

The Herald Sun looked up the company on the ASIC site and says that they have been registered since 2012.

On the company's website (before it was taken down) they were advertising a crayon-themed jumping castle that was 'new to Tasmania'. (I don't know if this is the castle that was rented to the school.)

No Cookies | Herald Sun
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Thanks for giving me the name. I was able to find the owner on FB. I saw a post on her personal FB with a flyer that features the crayon jumping castle from 2 years ago. I think the 'new to Tasmania' referred to another thing, swing cars.

Easily findable on FB if you search for her name.

IceIce9 said:
In the area where I live these castles are very popular, parents rent them for birthday parties, neighbors go together to rent them for block parties.

There are several “bounce house” rental companies here, they deliver, set up, and return to take down but supervision is left up to the parents.
Click to expand...

Yes I think this is a possibility here. I know of companies that do zorb ball parties (my kid went to one) and they have a staff member who stays with the zorb balls and they run the games etc, so maybe there was some staff around?
 
I went to a community picnic run by the church next door yesterday. I was surprised that they had a jumping castle and an inflatable surf ride in operation after the tragedy in Tasmania. Granted I live in NSW but I would’ve expected that they would’ve cancelled the rides. By the way, it was quite windy at times.
 
Bohemian said:
I went to a community picnic run by the church next door yesterday. I was surprised that they had a jumping castle and an inflatable surf ride in operation after the tragedy in Tasmania. Granted I live in NSW but I would’ve expected that they would’ve cancelled the rides. By the way, it was quite windy at times.
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Omg, Bo, it was shockingly windy yesterday! I thought my roof was going to lift off!
Unfortunately, even after such a tragedy, money comes into play, no one wants to lose out, it'd be hard at this time of year to find alternate entertainment but gee, it's not worth taking the risk.
Imo, they should only be set up in enclosed buildings like gyms and large halls or a total ban.
 
PrimeSuspect said:
Omg, Bo, it was shockingly windy yesterday! I thought my roof was going to lift off!
Unfortunately, even after such a tragedy, money comes into play, no one wants to lose out, it'd be hard at this time of year to find alternate entertainment but gee, it's not worth taking the risk.
Imo, they should only be set up in enclosed buildings like gyms and large halls or a total ban.
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When we lived in Illinois there was an indoor recreation center where they had 6 or 8 of the large bounce houses of different types set up inside. You could purchase a bracelet for your kids that allowed all day access. Besides the bounce houses they had other types of games that were included.

I never really thought about it at the time but the indoor set up was very safe, no need to worry about wind or weather.
 
There is a new article here (paywalled).

Paraphrased ....

It says that there is a dedicated team working around the clock to keep the two critically injured children with us. They have them stabilised (but critical).

Their injuries are blunt force trauma. Multiple broken bones and severe internal damage. Their list of injuries is 'a mile long'. They have a very long road to recovery.

The children's funerals are starting to happen, with the first one being held on Wednesday.

A specialised squad of detectives from NSW has arrived in Tassie. To assist in interviewing the children who were witness to this tragedy. This will be a complex and sensitive procedure.

One of the victims, who was released from hospital, has visited the makeshift memorial at the school. There are photos of him with his parents, both of his arms are in plaster casts.

Also in the article are many words and tributes from proud but grieving relatives of the children (grandparents and such) who have been visiting the makeshift memorial at the school.

No Cookies | The Mercury
 
It's going to take time for the Coroner's report and WorkSafe findings to be finalised and made public, but in the little that I know, imo, it will be a case against the manufacturer, distributor and Product Safety Australia (ACCC). The average person shouldn't need a degree in aerodynamics to discern whether a common and well sort after product is safe or not. The person setting it up would follow instructions but if the equipment is substandard for outdoor conditions, imo, it should never have been available.

In the mountains it's constantly windy and if it isn't for a time, it will be, the same for Tasmania. These flimsy jumping castles and zorb balls aren't meant for outdoor play, imo. It's not about wrapping kids in cotton wool, it's about businesses who design and manufacture kid's play equipment with cheap materials without a thought of the natural hazards the product can't withstand. The original heavy duty jumping castles from 15 plus years ago were at least of a higher standard, and manned by the operator, who'd strictly monitor the kids, and closed it down if weather conditions changed.
We can't change the past but we can learn from it. This is tragic to the extreme. :(
 
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In 2001, eight-year-old Jessica Gorostiaga died in South Australia after a jumping castle lifted into the air.
The coroner found she died from head injuries sustained after she hit the ground from about 7 metres.
The investigation found the anchoring of the jumping castle was inadequate, causing the castle to break away from its anchor plates.
At the time, it recommended a review of the Australian standards for jumping castles, to ensure all castles operated under appropriate wind conditions and had anchorage systems capable of withstanding those conditions.
The coroner recommended any device that did not comply with such a standard should not be registered.
A report by Monash University also documented the number of emergency presentations in Victoria for injuries in children aged under 14, related to jumping castles.
It found there were 784 presentations from 2001 to 2010, and 11 per cent of those were serious, requiring hospital admission.

The rules and regulations for using jumping castles in Australia
 
This isn't the first jumping castle tragedy to happen in Australia


Five children are dead and three are fighting for their lives after an incident at a Tasmanian school. Here's everything we know about what happened and when a tragedy like this has happened before.

Read more
Eyewitness reports to Tasmania Police have said a "wind event" and a "gust" led to the incident, but the nearest weather bureau monitoring site about 10 kilometres away at Devonport Airport did not record anything out of the ordinary.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Anna Forrest said the strongest gust recorded at the airport around the time of the incident was only 22 kilometres per hour, "which is not atypical for the area and wouldn't be considered extremely strong".

"It's a fairly light wind," she said.

She said while there was nothing abnormal reported at the airport, "obviously [it] had horrible consequences for the site".
 
musicaljoke said:
This isn't the first jumping castle tragedy to happen in Australia


Five children are dead and three are fighting for their lives after an incident at a Tasmanian school. Here's everything we know about what happened and when a tragedy like this has happened before.

Read more
Eyewitness reports to Tasmania Police have said a "wind event" and a "gust" led to the incident, but the nearest weather bureau monitoring site about 10 kilometres away at Devonport Airport did not record anything out of the ordinary.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Anna Forrest said the strongest gust recorded at the airport around the time of the incident was only 22 kilometres per hour, "which is not atypical for the area and wouldn't be considered extremely strong".

"It's a fairly light wind," she said.

She said while there was nothing abnormal reported at the airport, "obviously [it] had horrible consequences for the site".
Click to expand...

Yeah I read that too. 10km away the closest official weather readings. Definitely doesn't preclude a truly freakish wind gust occurring at Hillcrest IMO.
 
More than $1.3 million has been raised for the families of the Hillcrest Primary School tragedy.
A teenager had started the fund, hoping for $1,000 to help the families at Christmas.
It is going into a Public Fund so that it can be administered properly.
The local council has added $30,000 to the fund.

The Tassie govt has also put up $500,000 for counselling and other support.

(paywalled)

No Cookies | The Mercury
 
'We will never forget your precious children': Memorial held one year on from jumping castle tragedy

The six students who died in a jumping castle tragedy in Tasmania's north west a year ago have been described as "precious children ... never, ever forgotten" by the Premier at a memorial today.

"Over the past twelve months, Tasmanians have come together as one and wrapped their arms around everyone so utterly devastated, to provide such love, support and care.

"We acknowledge though, that no matter how hard we try, no matter how hard we will continue to try, we will never be able to truly walk in the shoes of those who have lost so much.

"We will never forget your precious children and we will always walk alongside you in your grief.

"May they live on in our hearts and minds, so tragically taken from us but never ever forgotten. We also remember the children [who were] injured and wish them well as they continue to recover."

  • A minute's silence was held at the ceremony and a photo montage of the six victims was shown
  • A metal heart has been placed in Market Square as a temporary memorial
  • An inquest into the deaths is ongoing but a coronial update found that a powerful "mini tornado, a wind devil or similar" lifted the jumping castle into the air
 
A grief no parent should bear — almost a year on from the jumping castle tragedy, the pain goes on

For almost a year, Georgie Burt has lived with the "greatest pain" a parent can bear.

Her son was one of six children who died in Tasmania's Hillcrest tragedy on December 16, 2021.

"The grief has not lessened and it never will," Ms Burt said.

"To think it has been one year without my son's smile, my son's beautiful energy in our home is just a pain I can't put into words."

...

More than 10 of the officers who responded to the Hillcrest tragedy are still off work, according to the head of wellbeing support for Tasmania's first responders.

Matthew Richman said there were 174 people who responded to the incident, with about a dozen — not including paramedics — yet to return to their jobs.

Those staff, he said, were being offered regular support, with a two-year wellbeing check process being run for the first time.


EDIT: This article goes pretty deep into mental health stuff, how people, especially first responders, have been affected and how they're being cared for, so read with care and call someone if you're upset by this. The article has hotlines like Lifeline listed, but they're all Australian.
 
PTSD from responding to just a single incident is a very real thing. I know a cop who responded to one single specific event and was off for months after because of the effect it had, and an ambo who responded to just a specific couple that did it for him. I think it's especially difficult for first responders who are parents, who respond to an incident where child/ren have been killed. From what I've observed, it really gets in your head. This would have been such a devastating incident, it was just awful and also so unexpected and crazy. I know I'll never look at a jumping castle the same way again especially if there's even a slight wind.
 
Jumping castle inquest can't be held as WorkSafe refuses to release findings

During a pre-inquest hearing this morning it was revealed WorkSafe Tasmania is refusing to provide its report because it believes it will prejudice "any potential prosecutions" under work, health and safety laws.

Coroner Olivia McTaggart said the decision was "unfortunate" and the inquest was adjourned pending an appeal in the Supreme Court in April.
 
Normally I don't support frivolous lawsuits, but in this case.....
Not frivolous and there needs to be an accounting for why this happened.
This was entirely preventable !
Imo.

Rest and fly with the angels, little ones !
 
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