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.
