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30 • Touchline • Issue 18
AT
RISK
Two children, aged five and six, were lucky to escape with
their lives when they fell 5 metres from the bouncy castle
in South Glens Falls in New York, USA. The bouncy castle
continued to rise 15 metres into the sky.
One boy crashed to the ground while the other landed on
top of a parked car. The incident, left one boy with traumatic
head injuries, according to officials. It was reported that the
younger of the two boys suffered two broken arms and
facial injuries. A 10-year-old girl was also playing on the
bouncy castle but suffered only minor scrapes after falling
from a much lower height.
The bouncy castle’s owner, who is not a parent to any of the
injured children, said that they had used it several times
after owning it for a few years.
David Gifford, a South Glens Falls Police Patrolman, told
local newspaper The Post-Star: “The witnesses said it was
a sudden burst of wind and it just lifted off the ground.
“It was a freak accident.” This is not the first time such an
incident has taken place – last year several children and
an elderly person were injured in North Yorkshire when a
bouncy castle was blown away.
The inflatable was caught by a gust of wind and blown
over a number of stalls at a car boot sale at Ripley Cricket
Club. Four people were hospitalised after the incident.
‘At Risk’ is a regular feature which highlights recent
news stories about some of the accidents and injuries
that occur in the sport and leisure world. Risk is present
in our everyday lives even when we are playing sport
and having fun.
Here we report some of the more tragic and bizarre
events that lead to loss, injury and sometimes even
death in our industry.
BOUNCY CASTLE BLOWS AWAY AND
INJURES TWO CHILDREN
In March this year a student who suffered a serious head
injury during a schools rugby match was awarded 2.75m euros
damages, plus costs. Mr Neville had sued his former school, St
Michael’s College, Dublin, and St Vincent’s Healthcare Group, as
owner of St Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin, following the injury in
November 2009.
Mr Neville, now aged 22, suffered a head injury during schools
rugby training on 11 November 2009 and received some
treatment at St Vincent’s Hospital for that. He went again to the
hospital on 15 November because he was suffering headaches
and eye problems. His mother asked that a scan of his head be
carried out but she said she was assured that was not necessary.
Had that scan been performed, it would have shown a subdural
haematoma which could have been evacuated and Mr Neville
would not have gone back to school where he suffered the
second head injury. When his mother contacted the school in
relation to his injury, she was assured a protocol under which
students who suffer head injuries are not allowed to participate
in contact sports for three weeks would be implemented.
But on 28 November 2009, some 17 days later, when Mr Neville
was on the subs bench during a match between St Michael’s
and St Mary’s, he was called on to play for the final minutes
of that match. He suffered a head injury and collapsed on
the sideline at the end of that match. The school accepted he
should not have been permitted to play.
He was rushed to hospital in a condition described as “life-
threatening”, but emergency surgery carried out at Beaumont
Hospital saved his life although he now has a permanent
brain injury with serious adverse implications for his future
educational and employment prospects.
Both defendants admitted liability but disputed Mr Neville’s
claim for some 5m euros damages. A central dispute between
the sides related to the fact that the claim included a 2m euros
amount for future care. After talks between the sides, an offer of
2.75m euros plus costs had been made and accepted.
STUDENT RUGBY PLAYER AWARDED
€2.75 MILLION DAMAGES