Several people were injured after a jumping castle was launched into the air by a massive wind gust on New Year’s Eve, sending it tumbling for 100m along the ground before it finally came to a stop.
At least five people were hurt at the Matua New Year’s Eve community celebration incident in Tauranga, New Zealand, on Saturday, with two rushed to hospital.
One person who fell from the castle ‘landed heavily’, according to a witness. ‘They sort of curled up on the ground, not really moving.’
KC Ann Southee, who was at the event in Fergusson Park with her children who are neurodiverse, said it was ‘the most terrifying night in my life’.
‘We were there. My kids were just about to jump on it and the lady working it said actually I want a safety check first.
‘Then not even a second later it took off,’ Ms Southee said on social media.
The jumping castle at the Matua New Year’s Eve community celebration incident in Tauranga, New Zealand, is pictured just as the wind was about to lift it off the ground
‘It was chaos. I had to jump to the side with my youngest. And lost my 2 oldest amongst it.’
Later on Saturday night, she said ‘I am glad my children are all safe in bed, thoughts are with the injured.
‘And I will be forever grateful for the lady operating the bouncy castle for her split second decision to check it before allowing my kids on.
‘Cause then the thing took off hurting a lot of people.’
Witness James Mason was with his son near the castle when it started moving.
At first, the jumping castle lifted on one side, and it appeared that several people fell out, he told stuff.co.nz.
He saw a person fall about 10m after being thrown out and shouting ‘my head, my head’.
Mr Mason said a female doctor rushed to treat the man while others put blankets on him to keep him still.
High wind gusts at a community celebration in Tauranga, New Zealand lifted a jumping castle (pictured) into the air
He said the castle travelled about 100m ‘across the entire festival’ before the crowd were able to stop it.
Another witness, Kiri Prentice, was at the park with her family and filmed a video a few minutes before the jumping castle blew away.
‘You can see in the flags and in my mother-in-law’s hair, how strong the wind was,’ she told sunlive.co.nz.
Ms Prentice said the operators of the kids’ activities seemed very responsible, the equipment looked in very good condition, and she was impressed at how they were monitoring the number of children going on the jumping castle.
But the wind picked up in strength as the day went on.
The jumping castle at the Matua New Year’s Eve community celebration in Tauranga is pictured (centre) tumbling along the ground
‘It is obvious that wind monitoring and some rules around safe operation need to be developed for New Zealand circumstances,’ she said.
A Tauranga City Council spokesperson said all inflatable devices were closed at all community events ‘as soon as we were notified of the incident’.
‘Worksafe NZ has been notified and we are also undertaking our own investigation.’
The terrifying scene in Tauranga evoked memories of the Hillcrest Primary School tragedy in Tasmania on December 15, 2021.
Six children – Zane Mellor, Peter Dodt, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan, Jalailah Jayne-Marie Jones and Chace Harrison – died after the jumping castle at Hillcrest was lifted 10m into the air.
From left: Zane Mellor, Peter Dodt, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan and Jalailah Jayne-Marie Jones died on December 15, 2021 when a jumping castle was lifted 10m into the air and three days later Chace Harrison (right) succumbed to his injuries
One year on, Matthew Richman, the director of wellbeing support for Ambulance Tasmania and the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management said the tragedy was still being felt by many first responders.
‘When Hillcrest occurred we activated our critical incident stress management team and also our broader wellbeing support team and we had people on the ground very quickly to provide support on scene,’ Mr Richman told The Mercury.
‘That support really increased over the first couple of weeks and we are extending that support out for a two-year period.’
An investigation into the tragedy is ongoing and a public inquest is also planned.
Flowers are pictured at Hillcrest Primary School in Tasmania after six children died in a jumping castle incident on December 15, 2022
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