California

Boy Lucky to Be Alive After Bounce House Blows Onto Highway

Police said the bounce house hit a vehicle while the child was inside and the child was taken to the hospital

A 9-year-old boy who survived a fall onto a highway after the bounce house he was in blew into the air said he was lucky to be alive Monday.

Seth Olson, who suffered minor injuries, said winds "like a tornado" lifted the bounce house into the air from a home in Adelanto on Saturday afternoon. Seth fell out of the bounce house after it rolled onto the freeway and struck a vehicle. The driver was not hurt.

"A gust of wind took me. The first tumble, I went unconscious. And then it bounced up in the air," he said. "All I remember is my mom pulling up on the 395 and I woke up and I saw her crying and walking up to me.

"It was just so scary. But I'm OK now. I feel very blessed."

His mother, Melanie, said she thought her son was dead.

"It was a very, very scary situation," she said. My kids are traumatized. They'll never get in another bounce house.

A report from the Journal of Pediatrics found that, on average, 31 people a day are treated in US emergency rooms for injuries related to inflatable bounce houses.

Here are some suggested tips:

  • Obey all manufactures safety guidelines.
  • Post all safety rules.
  • The attendant should make all riders, parents and guardians aware of rules posted on the inflatable.
  • Supervision by an adult is required at all times.
  • Never leave the inflatable play equipment unattended.
  • The safest way to use a bounce house and inflatable play equipment is to have only one person on it at a time.

For more information, go here.

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