Up, Up and Away

Have you ever had reservations about letting your children use an inflatable bounce house? Maybe you thought your child would injure himself performing stunts or maybe you though there were too many children. Or maybe you thought they'd float away.
 

That's exactly what happened twice this year in the Tucson area. Once in February and once last week. In both cases, the bounce houses -- with children still inside -- were lifted into the air by high winds and carried several feet before dumping the children out. In February, a girl was hospitalized after landing on a roof. Two more children were hospitalized this month after their bounce house landed in the middle of a busy road.

Why weren't these houses tethered to the ground? Both of these incidents occurred at private residences, not carnivals or school-sponsored events, which leads me to believe they were untethered, no doubt set up by parents who had never inflated one before. So are the parents to blame? No, not at all. Seeing as both of these freak flying houses were in the Tucson area, it makes me wonder if they come from the same rental company. If so, then they need to teach their customers safety before they allow them to take out a rental.

Pay attention next time your child is invited to a birthday party. Ask questions about what entertainment is going to be there. You might even end up saving a life.