Poorly Moored Bounce Houses Pose Big Risks for Kids

Summer is just around the corner. As the weather warms up, street festivals, block parties, and other outdoor events will attract families across Georgia. For kids, one of the highlights of such events is the inflatable “bounce house.” While most of the time bounce houses only cause laughter and maybe the occasional bout of nausea, they can also cause serious injuries if they are set up and monitored improperly.

Just last month, a 7 year-old girl in England was killed after the bounce house she was playing in was swept up in high winds after not being properly secured to the ground. On Memorial Day last year in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, three kids were hurt after a waterspout launched the bounce house they were inside into the sky. Just a few weeks later, a gust of wind sent a bounce house in China airborne, and killing a child who fell out.

4,000 Emergency Room Visits Every Year

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that inflatables lead to more than 4,000 emergency room visits a year in the United States. A 2013 study in the journal Pediatrics reported that from 1995 to 2010, the number of bounce house injuries among children in the U.S. increased fifteen-fold.

Reasons for Injuries

High winds and improper mooring are just a couple of the factors that can lead to bounce house injuries. Additional problems can include:

• Overcrowding
• Bad weather conditions
• Inadequate adult supervision or no supervision at all
• Improper mixing of age groups (older or larger children, or adults, inside with small children)
• Equipment problems, such as under-inflation, worn mooring cables, or rips or tears,
• What can make inflatables even more suspect here in Georgia is the fact that bounce houses leased for private or residential use in the state are not subject to any regulation or inspection requirements.

When kids get injured in an inflatable, both the operator of the inflatable and the owner of the property where the inflatable was assembled could be responsible for damages if the injuries were caused by improper supervision or because the inflatable was improperly secured or set up,. If the house itself was defective, the manufacturer could be held responsible.

Bounce House Safety Tips

The Child Injury Prevention Alliance suggests that anyone looking to rent a bounce house or inflatable find a trained and fully insured operator, avoid mixing age groups of jumpers, and not allow too many children inside the bounce house at one time. They also recommend that only children over 6 be allowed in an inflatable.

At The Parian Law Firm in metro Atlanta, Georgia, we represent injury victims exclusively and are committed to getting justice and compensation for our clients. If your child has been injured in a bounce house or inflatable, please contact us at (770) 727-5550 or chat live online with a member of our staff today.