Little boy narrowly avoids getting crushed by bounce house as huge storm blows it into his path with devastating power
- Horrified mom Jennifer Beane watched as son Michael, 5, escaped serious injury
- Shocking video shows panicked dad Jesse sprint over to the bouncy house to check if anyone is trapped inside: ‘Are y’all in there?’
- Bouncy house flew two stories into the air, high above the Beane house in Hickey, North Carolina as 40mph winds raged Saturday afternoon
- Jennifer warned parents against putting up bouncy houses in bad weather: ‘We thought it would be okay, but in the blink of an eye it could’ve did some damage’
A North Carolina mom shared her horror after her 5-year-old son was nearly struck by an unmoored bouncy house hired for his brother’s birthday party.
Hickey, NC parents Jennifer and Jesse Beane watched on powerless as the bouncy house in their garden became unmoored and flew toward toddler Michael Lee.
Michael was playing alone in the garden after the rest of the party went inside to cut cake marking his brother Maddux’s second birthday.
Michael Lee Beane, 5, stood still as the bouncy house became unstuck, before rushing away
The giant inflatable bouncy house flew two stories into the air, above the Beane’s roof
Michael (foreground) made a rapid escape as dad Jesse (left), mum Jennifer (right) and baby brother Maddux (left swing) were inside their home cutting cake for the 2-year-old’s birthday
Luckily, Michael dodged the bouncy house just in time and no one was hurt.
Doorbell footage shows just how close Michael came to a serious injury.
Michael stands still in surprise as the bouncy house becomes unstuck, but moves out the way moments before it looks like it will collide with him.
His back and head were grazed by the giant inflatable, but Michael didn’t need any medical attention.
Shaken Jennifer wrote on Facebook Monday: ‘You see [Michael] in the video as he heard the strap to the bounce house break so he was looking to see what it was.
‘Then the scariest thing happens and the wind picks it up and comes straight for him.
Dad Jesse (right) sprinted over to check if anyone was inside, yelling ‘Are y’all in there?’
The Beane family and guests checked through the bouncy house to see if any kids were caught
Michael (right) was stunned to see the bouncy house take off high above his home
Michael’s parents Jennifer and Jesse rushed outside as soon as older son Cooper yelled
Maddux (left) was munching on cake bought for his second birthday when big brother Michael (second from right) had the near-miss. Dad Jesse (back left) and mum Jennifer (right) were powerless to help from the kitchen where they stood when the bounce house took off
‘We had just went inside and [older son] Cooper saw it in the air from inside and screamed at us and we all took off outside. Thank the good lord everyone was safe.’
A local company installed the bouncy house on Saturday morning when winds were low, Jennifer told Channel 9 News.
They warned her not to use the kids’ attraction if winds exceeded 20mph.
By Saturday afternoon, Hickey was seeing winds upwards of 40mph – and the Beane family told kids to avoid the bouncy house.
But they never expected it to fly off the four small sticks holding it down and careen toward someone – never mind tiny son Michael.
Jennifer warned parents not to install bouncy houses in bad weather – and that wind can ruin a kids’ birthday party just as easily as rain.
She said: ‘Just pay attention to the wind because even though we thought it would be okay, in the blink of an eye it could’ve did some damage.’
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