KUSA – This week's incident where a bouncy house flew high off the ground injuring three children in New York state, raises questions about the safety of such inflatable bouncers.
Two of the children were seriously injured when the Little Tikes Bounce House was swept off the ground during a windstorm.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, such injuries caused by wind are rare.
Between 2007 and 2012, there were 11 incidents where wind appeared to play a role in causing injuries. One person died.
The bouncy house involved in this week's incident was a smaller, lighter-weight model than the professional-grade you can rent for a birthday party.
The operator of a local rental company tells 9NEWS the inflatables they use are larger, more heavyweight, and use a lot larger and sturdy stakes for proper anchoring.
The CPSC offers guidelines for inflatable bouncer businesses. They include unloading and deflating such equipment when winds top 25 miles per hour. The CPSC also advises all manufacturer recommendations be followed whether you're a parent buying a smaller model or a professional setting up a higher-end model.
The Better Business Bureau says when hiring a company, check that it has adequate liability insurance.
Make sure you get in writing what the company is and isn't liable for. They also recommend checking their rating on the BBB website.
Recent data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System found more than 11,000 children went to the emergency room in 2010 with injuries from inflatable bouncers. Most commonly the injuries were from falls, stunts and collisions.
To put inflatable injuries in some perspective, the Centers for Disease Control says about 11.9 million children went to the ER in 2010 due to injuries of all kinds.
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