Inflatable castles invite serious danger

Associated Press

OCEANSIDE, N.Y.

They look like harmless fun — fluffy castles, ships and slides filled with children carelessly bouncing around, their parents letting their guard down a bit during playtime.

But an accident that sent three of the huge toys aloft on a breezy afternoon on New York’s Long Island, seriously injured a woman and hurt 12 other people is drawing attention to the little-known hazards of the inflatable playthings sometimes called “bounce houses” and the inconsistent regulations covering them.

“I never thought there would be any serious issues, any concerns with safety,” said Mike Perniches, a father who ran to the rescue of the injured after Saturday’s accident. “But now, I’m like, forget it.”

At least 10 inflatables around the country have been toppled by winds or collapsed under too much weight in the past two months, injuring more than 40 people, according to RideAccidents.com, a website that tracks amusement ride accidents.

It’s not the toys themselves that are the problem; it’s the way they are set up and supervised, said Jim Barber, a spokesman for the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials, based in Brandon, Fla.

“I wish this was a rarity, but it’s not. It happens all the time,” Barber said. “These are probably the most dangerous amusement devices they have.”

A few states, such as New Jersey, make sure operators are trained on all inflatables, while others require operators only to have insurance. Most have no guidelines.

“It’s actually crazy,” said Matthew Mark, who owns a party rental company near Detroit and seven years ago founded the Safe Inflatable Operators Training Organization.