Tasmania’s fatal primary school jumping castle incident was far from the first of its kind

The tragedy in Devonport came as a devastating reminder of just how dangerous jumping castles can be when not operated properly.

The fatal jumping castle incident that killed five primary school students in Tasmania this week has come as a tragic reminder of just how dangerous the seemingly harmless toy can be.

While Thursday’s incident was caused by a freak strong gust of wind, it was far from the first time a jumping castle has resulted in children being severely injured and killed.

Nine Hillcrest Primary School students were in the castle at about 10am when if lifted into the air and fell about 10 metres to the ground. Three children are in hospital continuing to be treated for critical injuries and a fourth is recovering at home.

Five Hillcrest Primary School students were killed on Thursday in a horror jumping castle incident. Picture: Jack Evans

While strict national standard guidelines are in place to protect jumping castle users from suffering such an event, there have been at least three non-fatal jumping castle accidents in the past five years in Australia alone.

Elsewhere, several fatal jumping castle-related incidents have been reported, included that of a seven-year-old girl who died in the UK after the toy blew more than 150 metres across a park in April 2016.

A “strong gust of wind” swept the castle off the ground away from its tethers and trapped her inside, causing multiple traumatic injuries to her head, neck and chest.

She was rushed to hospital where she later died.

Addison Stewart was one of the students killed.

Peter Dodt died in the jumping castle accident.

Zane Mellor was another one of the victims.

The disaster was the second bouncy castle incident in less than a year to unfold at Harlow Town Park, with three children in May 2015 injured after one collapsed.

They were all treated at the scene and survived the ordeal.

A three-year-old girl was killed after the jumping castle she was on in Norfolk, England, on July 2018 exploded and threw her into the air.

She landed on her face in the sand and suffered serious head injuries, later causing her to die in hospital.

In China, two children were killed in 2019 when a jumping castle was swept up in a “dust devil” at a fair in an incident that injured a further 22 people, some critically.

A gust of wind in China’s Henan province caused the death of another child and injured 40 others in 2016.

In a similar incident a year earlier, a girl from Guangxi province died when the jumping castle she was on flew away in strong wind.

A boy was also killed in 2014 when a jumping castle at an outdoor mall in Jinan was blown away.

Scene at Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport where five children were killed. Picture: Rob Burnett

Jumping castle incidents in Australia have caused injuries in many children, including two 10 year olds who required surgery last year after being swept seven metres into the air on a toy during a family gathering in the regional NSW town of Tabbita.

Four children in 2019 were also injured when a jumping castle flipped in strong wind at the opening of Camden Fruit Barn in Sydney’s southwest.

They fell almost eight metres to the ground, with three of the children taken to hospital with various injuries.

In a separate incident, a toddler was knocked unconscious in 2016 after falling up to eight metres from a bouncy castle at a football club south of Brisbane.

Scene of the incident that killed five students. Picture: Rob Burnett

Safe Work Australia warns inflatable amusement devices including jumping castles can be hazardous when not set up and operated to relevant instructions.

The organisation states devices must be evacuated when wind gusts exceed the manufacturer’s guidelines or when the wind gusts are more than 40km/h.

A Monash University Injury Research Unit report released in 2012 revealed that between 2000 and 2010, a shocking 784 emergency department presentations of children aged 0-14 in Victoria were related to jumping castles.