A seven-year-old has died after the inflatable bouncing castle she was playing on at a fair was thrown 400m in the air by high winds.
Little Summer Grant was alone in the bouncing castle at the fair in Essex, UK, when strong winds ripped the inflatable’s moorings from the ground.
There had been a severe weather warning of high winds and rain that day.
Fairground workers have spoken about the horrifying incident, telling Daily Mirror: “It was a freak accident, the thing just flew at least 15ft straight up over the caravans, flipped and just kept on going down the park.”
“It must have been blown more than 400m at least. We thought it was never going to stop.”
Summer and her mother, Cara
Cara Blackie, the distraught mother of little Summer, said: “Words just can’t explain how I am feeling right now, life is just truly cruel.”
“Summer was a bright, beautiful and most loving little girl. It’s so unfair that you have been taken, it just doesn’t make sense, I’m truly heartbroken.”
Summer and her dad, Lee
Summer was visiting her dad Lee Grant for Easter. He said: “I never thought our beautiful angel would be taken away from us or that we would outlive her.”
“I still can’t come to terms she’s not here.”
Director of The Inflatable Play Enterprise and an independent safety inspector Peter Grand said: “Guidelines say anything over 24mph is not safe and you shouldn’t put a bouncy castle up.”
Gusts of wind hit 32mph in Essex, but averaged at 17mph.
Grand said if parents are concerned, they should ask the operators for a copy of the current test certificate.
Two people have been arrested – a 24-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man – on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence. They have been bailed until May 4.
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