For the third time since February, a jumping castle was launched into the air by a sudden gust of wind, injuring an unsuspecting group of children Friday afternoon, authorities said.
This time, six children suffered minor injuries, including a 16-year-old boy who was taken to the hospital, said Capt. Trish Tracy, a Tucson Fire Department spokeswoman.
The other children were treated at the scene, Tracy said.
No one was in the castle at the time. The 16-year-old boy was with another group at the park and was struck by debris, according to parents at the scene.
Several people were hit by pieces of equipment, including parts of the inflatable’s compressor, Tracy said.
Three fifth-grade classes from Bonillas Basic Curriculum Magnet School were having a graduation party at Hoffman Park, near East Broadway and South Swan Road, when a gust of wind swept into the park, said Brandi Edwards, a parent who was volunteering at the party.
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The wind gust, which Edwards described as a dust devil, swirled into the street before returning to the park and picking up the jumping castle, said Edwards, who was supervising a flag football game.
The wind grabbed the object and wrapped it around a light pole that stood next to the ramada, she said.
“It was like a microburst,” she said. “The dust devil came whipping around and picked up the jumping castle.”
Adults at the party told the children to get out of the jumping castle after the first of gust of wind, she said.
They gathered most of the children and huddled under a ramada during the dust devil, trying to avoid the flying debris, equipment and other objects, she said.
According to Edwards, representatives from the company that provided the jumping castle secured the object with stakes earlier in the day and stayed throughout the party.
The company retrieved the jumping castle after it eventually landed on the ramada’s roof, she said.
Tracy credited the adults for constantly supervising the children and quickly removing them from the jumping castle when the winds started.
“The best thing is having adults supervising the area,” she said.
Two inflatable jumping castles have gone airborne here this year while children were playing inside, seriously injuring two.
On April 2, two children were playing inside a jumping castle when it flew over a fence and over three lanes of Tucson traffic, landing on the median. A 9-year-old girl suffered serious injuries and many broken bones. She was taken to University Medical Center where she remained for about a week.
Tucson police determined no criminal charges would be filed.
On Feb. 19 two young girls were hurt in Marana when a jumping castle went airborne, dropping a 9-year-old on a neighbor's roof.
It was unknown which rental company provided that castle, town police said.
Contact reporter Jamar Younger at jyounger@azstarnet.com or 573-4115.
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