Five Hospitalized After Wind Gusts Topple Inflatable Game in Washington

ZILLAH, Wash. - Five students are in the hospital after a gust of wind shot an inflatable game into the air before crashing back down on a high school football field.

One of the students was admitted to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.

Cell phone video shows the students playing a game on the field inside the inflatables when a huge gust of wind sends them flying into the air. Witnesses said paramedics performed CPR on one student.

The school district is investigating the incident.

Inflatables and bouncy houses are notorious for being dangerous when the winds kick up. Five children were hospitalized in April 2017 when a bounce house in South Carolina went airborne.

Anytime children want to go into a bounce house, make sure it's securely tethered to the ground. One expert said he uses stakes that are almost a yard long to make sure inflatables stay put.

An adult always needs to be watching, just like a lifeguard at a pool. And if the wind is strong enough to make clothes flap around, experts say that's a sign children need to get out of the bounce house, just in case.
