A 2-year-old boy named Bodhi Naaf tragically lost his life after a strong gust of wind carried the bouncy castle he was in to a neighboring lot in central Arizona, as reported by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.
Bodhi’s father, Karl Naaf, is a Phoenix firefighter, as noted by the United Phoenix Firefighters Local 493 union.
The incident, which occurred on April 27 in Casa Grande, involved multiple children in the bouncy castles.
However, Bodhi and another child were the only ones who needed hospitalization, with the other child fortunately not sustaining life-threatening injuries.
Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Lauren Reimer expressed, “This appears to have been a tragic accident,” and offered condolences, stating, “We would like to extend our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the grieving family.”
Guidelines from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recommend that bouncy castles be staked and anchored, with wind speeds not exceeding 15 to 25 mph during use.
The sheriff’s office did not confirm whether these precautions were in place during this incident, although wind gusts exceeded 20 mph at the time.
Citing a 2022 study by the American Meteorological Society, which documented 132 wind-related bouncy castles incidents globally from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2021, with 479 injuries and 28 fatalities, the situation underscores the risks associated with these inflatable structures.
Source-BBC
