A backyard birthday celebration in Sydney's southwest turned into a scene of terror on Saturday morning when a jumping castle, with five children inside, was lifted into the air by a powerful gust of wind.
A Sudden Gust Causes Chaos
The incident occurred at approximately 9:35 am on Saturday in a backyard on Kelvin Park Dr in the suburb of Bradfield. According to reports, wind gusts reaching 70km/h wrenched the inflatable play structure from its moorings. The castle was lifted several metres into the air and carried over a fence, with the children still trapped inside.
All five children caught in the airborne nightmare were boys, aged between nine and 13 years old. Emergency services, including paramedics and police, were immediately dispatched to the scene.
Emergency Response and Injuries
Following the frightening ordeal, four of the boys were transported to the Children's Hospital at Westmead for medical assessment and treatment. Authorities confirmed that all injuries were considered non-life-threatening.
A ninth-year-old boy was assessed by paramedics at the scene and was deemed not to require further hospital treatment. The swift response from emergency crews ensured all children received prompt attention.
Investigation and a Tragic Echo from the Past
SafeWork NSW has been notified and is investigating the circumstances that led to the accident. The jumping castle had been hired from a local family-run business, which has so far declined to comment on the incident.
This alarming event carries a painful echo of a previous Australian tragedy. It comes nearly four years after the devastating Hillcrest Primary School incident in Tasmania, where six children—Zane Mellor, Peter Dodt, Addison Stewart, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Jye Sheehan, and Chace Harrison—lost their lives after a jumping castle was lifted by a wind gust in December 2021. In a recent development from that case, a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against the jumping castle operator in June of this year.
The Bradfield incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers associated with inflatable amusement devices during windy conditions and will likely prompt renewed discussions around safety protocols.
