2-year-old killed after wind gusts send bounce house airborne in Arizona

A 2-year-old boy died while playing successful a bounce location that was swept up by a powerful upwind gust successful southwestern Arizona, authorities said. 

Multiple children were wrong of nan bounce location Saturday day erstwhile beardown winds blew nan inflatable building airborne and complete to a neighboring lot, a spokesperson for nan Pinal County Sheriff's Office said successful a statement. That connection called nan section successful Casa Grande, a metropolis astir an hour's thrust from Phoenix, a "tragic accident" and extended "heartfelt thoughts and prayers to nan grieving family."

The boy suffered injuries successful nan bounce location and later died astatine a hospital, according to nan sheriff's office. Another kid was besides taken to a infirmary pinch injuries, though hers were not considered life threatening. CBS affiliate KPHO-TV reported that nan woman had surgery her arm.

A GoFundMe run established successful nan aftermath of nan boy's decease identified him arsenic Bodhi, whose parents, referenced by their first names Karl and Christy, are expecting a 2nd babe astatine nan extremity of May. The run organizer, Ashley Al-Khouri, said nan boy's begetter is simply a firefighter and workfellow of her ain hubby astatine Phoenix Fire Station 40 and called nan mates "dear friends" successful a explanation for nan fundraiser.

"As a community, we want to connection our support and alleviate nan financial load that accompanies specified tragedies. Your donations will thief Karl and Cristy attraction connected grieving their beloved Bodhi while besides preparing for nan caller section successful their lives," wrote Al-Khouri. Donations had already surpassed nan fundraiser's $100,000 extremity by Tuesday morning.

Phoenix Firehouse 25 shared a nexus to nan fundraiser on Instagram and said nan mates has been "an integral portion of Firehouse 25 family for galore years," and noted nan upcoming presence of their newborn owed adjacent month, "to adhd to nan unimaginable hellhole that they person been done nan past 2 days."

Bounce houses person been a staple of kids' intermezo for decades and tin beryllium a centerpiece of outdoor gatherings for illustration day parties. Whether they are safe aliases not has been debated much and much complete nan years, pinch everyone from pediatric aesculapian experts, personal wounded lawyers and nan Consumer Product Safety Commission informing of a wide scope of imaginable threats that definite inflatables whitethorn airs to children. 

One study gained peculiar attraction aft it was published successful 2022 successful nan Bulletin of nan American Meteorological Society. Researchers wished that inflatable bounce houses "are information hazards erstwhile they are dragged, blown over, aliases lofted by winds," aft looking astatine 132 incidents involving bounce houses and upwind that happened betwixt 2000 and 2021. Those incidents resulted successful astatine slightest 479 injuries and astatine slightest 28 deaths, according to nan report.

In:
• Arizona