5 Children Injured After Bounce Houses Blow Away At South Carolina Church Festival

Pam Wright
Published: April 9,2017
Five children at a church festival in South Carolina were injured Saturday when inflatable bounce houses came unanchored by gusts of wind.
According to WCMH, at least five children attending the Springwell Church festival in Taylors, South Carolina, were taken to an area hospital following the incident.
“Everybody was just enjoying themselves, [it was a] calm day,” said a witness who asked not to be identified told WCMH. “No wind blowing and all of a sudden, it just showed up.”
Brandon Robinson told CNN he was with his wife and children when the wind picked up around 2 p.m. local time.
“As I turned to my left I saw the first (bounce house) pick up about 10, 15 feet into the air,” he said. “I didn’t see any kids fall out, but it came slamming right back down to the ground.
“About 10 seconds after that one picked up, the one right next to it just slung about 25 to 30 feet up in the air, got caught by the power lines, and hung there about 10 or 15 seconds.”
He said the lines then snapped and the bounce house fell to the ground, adding that he saw children on the ground that "looked really hurt."
While winds weren't overly strong Saturday, there were occasional gusts from 20 to 25 mph during the afternoon across upstate South Carolina, ways weather.com meteorologist Brian Donegan.
(WATCH: Bounce House Heat Dangers)
David Pearson, a pastor at the church, posted a statement on Facebook about the incident.
"This afternoon, we held our annual Spring Carnival on our campus," he wrote. "Shortly after 2 p.m., an unexpected wind gust, out of our control, lifted an inflatable amusement that was on our campus for the event. We are saddened for those who were injured during the unfortunate accident today."
Comments on Pearson's Facebook post reveal the condition of some of the children.
Amanda Reger commented that two of her children were injured in the incident.
"My 9-year-old daughter and her sister are two of the children hurt in the accident," Reger commented, noting that one of her daughters suffered multiple bruises, a concussion and a broken shoulder. "Thank you for all your prayers and all workers and people trying to help these children."
Reger later commented that her daughter underwent surgery for her shoulder injury and was having trouble breathing. Doctors planned to do more tests to determine the extent of her injuries.
Pearson posted an update on Facebook on Sunday, saying two children remained hospitalized in stable condition.
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