Two children were left with injuries after the untethered bouncy castle was carried high into the air by a gust of wind at a school event in Krugersdorp, South Africa
Terrified parents were forced to helplessly watch on as their children were carried into the air and dropped several metres to the ground below by a flying bouncy castle.
Two school pupils were carried 40 feet (12 metres) into the air after high winds caught the untethered inflatable during a fund-raising day at a school in South Africa. Footage captured the moment eyewitnesses screamed in in terror at the Laerskool Protearif primary at Krugersdorp, in West Rand, Gauteng Province. One shocked-looking attendant was seen looking on and anxiously staring back at the camera as a child lost their grasp and plummets onto a group of parents forming a human crash pad.
The parents quick reaction saved the child, but she was left seriously injured and taken to hospital alongside a second youngster who was also caught by the group.
One was reportedly left with a fractured skull and the other a broken arm. It is not clear how many or if any other children were on board and managed to cling on inside the bouncy castle, which landed about 50 feet from where it took off. The fundraising event held last Saturday on the school playing fields attended by over 1000 parents, pupils and friends.
School headmaster Deon Lourens declined to comment but a statement on the school Facebook site confirmed two learners were rushed to the nearest A&E unit.
It revealed that one child, thought to be the one with the broken arm, was released the same day, and the other with a fractured skull, was released three days later. The statement read that both children were receiving trauma counselling but added: “It is with great gratitude that we are happy to share the very good news with you.
“The two children who sustained injuries during the fracture accident at the Protea festival on Saturday were discharged from hospital on 31/5 and 3/6 respectively.”
“The necessary trauma-counselling was given to both children, as well as to their co-learners, who experienced the event and thank you all for standing together. We thank you very much for everyone’s positive support, help and prayers.” An eye-witness with two pupils at the school, who asked not to be named for fear of getting her children into trouble.
They said: “When they fell I thought they were dead. I was watching from a food stall with my girls when I heard screaming and turned around and just saw this blue, green and red thing shooting up to the heavens.
“Then there was a huge scream when first one child and then another fell out but of all the places they could have landed it was right over a group of parents below. They reached up their arms to try to catch the falling children and undoubtedly saved their lives or saved them from much worse injuries by cushioning them.
“It was not a very windy day but it seemed this huge gust just came from nowhere and it was said the bouncy castle had not been secured to the ground.”