(InvestigateTV) — Bounce houses are a fun and familiar sight at birthday parties and festivals across the country, but when these inflatables collide with Mother Nature, drama and danger can ensue.

Winds can blow houses up, leading to serious injuries such as broken bones, contusions and even death.

Terrifying moments

Video captured in 2022 from a Ring camera attached to a home in Hickory, North Carolina shows a bounce house being lifted by the wind and nearly hitting a child.

“It’s definitely something that parents need to understand and be aware of that it’s a very real risk,” said Kevin Lee.

Lee and his son, Colin, were at an after-school party in 2021 in Mesa, Arizona, when something like the incident in North Carolina happened.

Strong winds swept away the inflatable Colin and three other children were playing in.

Lee said the bouncy house was about 15 to 20 feet in the air.

All he and the other parents could do was watch in horror as the children began to fall one by one.

“I remember just going on and in an instant, it happened,” Colin said.

Colin suffered a broken coccyx and the other children also suffered similar injuries.

Kevin said as a parent he felt powerless in that tragic moment. “You couldn’t do anything. Even though I jumped up and grabbed him, he picked up the generator that was being used to inflate him.”

Since the accident, Colin has recovered from his physical injuries. He also went to a psychologist to help heal from the emotional trauma of that terrible day.

Wind Hazard Revealed

John Knox is a geography professor at the University of Georgia who led a study on the dangers of bounce houses.

His research showed that between 2000 and 2021, 479 injuries related to bounce houses were reported worldwide and at least 28 deaths.

“There have been quite a few incidents in the southwestern United States where bounce houses have not just been blown up, they have been lifted into the air by the vertical movement of a dust devil that carried them aloft” , Knox said. “That’s when it gets really dangerous.”

Arizona is one of dozens of states that have no regulations on bounce houses and no guidelines on wind speeds at which inflatables are allowed to be used.

Most store-bought and professional bounce houses recommend against using them when wind speeds exceed 15 mph to 20 mph.

Knox said parents should treat bouncy houses like a swimming pool, making sure someone is watching the kids at all times.

The industry emphasizes safety

Ezequiel and Delmy Montes-DeOca own 2gether We Bounce, a Phoenix-based business that rents bouncy castles and slides.

They say their priority is keeping kids safe, so they take extra precautions with each rental, using 20-inch stakes or 50-pound sandbags to prevent their homes from flying away.

“It can happen at any time,” Delmy Montes-DeOca said. “We will not put up inflatables if the wind is predicted to be 15 mph or more for the day. We will simply cancel the event. Safety for us comes first before anything else.”

Delmy Montes-DeOca believes that inflatables are safe as long as they are installed correctly and children are supervised.

She suggests customers make sure a rental company is licensed, licensed and insured.

“These can be so much fun, kids love them,” said Delmy Montes-DeOca. “What should be a fun event shouldn’t turn into a tragic one at the end of the day.”

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