A tragic incident occurred at a Montreal park last weekend when a three-year-old girl lost her life after a bouncy castle was lifted into the air by strong winds. The inflatable structure, along with a tent, was tossed by gusts reaching up to 50 kilometres per hour (31 miles per hour) on May 31 at Parc Ouellet in LaSalle, a borough in southwest Montreal.
Details of the Incident
The party, hosted by a church, turned catastrophic when the bouncy castle became airborne. Eleven individuals sustained injuries, with six requiring hospitalisation. The girl was inside the inflatable when it crashed down. Quebec coroner Martine Lachance has been assigned to investigate the causes and circumstances surrounding the death.
Expert Insights on Safety
Cathy Denis, owner of an inflatable-structure rental company in Quebec, emphasised that she does not install or operate bouncy castles when forecasts predict wind speeds exceeding 38 kilometres per hour (24 miles per hour). She explained that inflatables present a large surface area, making them vulnerable to sudden gusts even when properly anchored.
Similar Tragedies Worldwide
This incident adds to a series of similar tragedies. In 2022, an eight-year-old girl died in Spain after a bouncy castle was blown several metres into the air during a fair in Mislata, near Valencia. Eight other children were injured. In 2021, six children died and three were seriously injured in Tasmania, Australia, when a jumping castle was lifted about 10 metres (33 feet) during a school event. In 2017, a six-year-old girl died and six children were injured in Caldes de Malavella, Spain, when an inflatable came loose from its stakes.
Safety Recommendations
Health Canada advises operators to securely anchor inflatable structures to prevent movement, tipping, or lift-off. A 2013 study by the Public Health Agency of Canada identified 674 injuries linked to inflatable attractions between 1990 and 2009, with children aged 2 to 9 most affected and fractures accounting for over one-third of cases. Research from Toronto Metropolitan University found that inflatables caused 42% of amusement-ride injuries in a U.S. database in 2010. Lead author Kathryn Woodcock urged operators to avoid using inflatables when weather conditions exceed manufacturers' safety guidelines.
