Wind can easily turn bounce houses into death traps

Anyone who’s ever felt the thrill of jumping inside a bounce house will likely feel vindicated by recent research. A study found that there have been hundreds of injuries and at least 28 deaths worldwide over the past two decades that were caused by bounce houses that were not properly installed or secured during windy conditions. Both figures are likely an underestimate, the authors say, and do not account for other bounce house-related injuries, which occur primarily among children.

The research is the culmination of a long effort by a team of scientists, mainly from the University of Georgia. For years, they scoured media reports and other sources dating back to 2000, looking for any possible accounts of bounce house weather-related incidents. In addition, they cross-checked what they found with available meteorological data.

In total, they documented 132 incidents between 2000 and 2022 that collectively left 479 injured and 28 dead. The tally includes two incidents that have occurred this year, although no significant injuries or deaths have been reported for either. The team’s conclusions were published in July in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, and researchers have also created one accompanying website for the public to provide information about each incident.

“These bounce houses are not something you put together and then forget to stake in the ground,” said lead author John Knox, professor of geography at the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, in a statement. “What could go wrong? The answer is that it could blow with winds that are nowhere near severe levels.”

Indeed, while many incidents occurred during or before clearly hazardous weather events with strong winds, such as approaching thunderstorms, others occurred on days with clear skies or relatively light wind speeds. Approximately half of all incidents occurred with winds below 40 km per hour; the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) says that winds greater than 40 km/h require the presence of a trained engineer to secure the home. And about a third occurred with wind speeds below 20 miles per hour.

The researchers delved into state-by-state regulations on bounce houses in the US and found that less than half of the states had statutes regarding their use. Of these, only 19 states adhered to the guidelines recommended by ASTM, while 17 states either had no rules related to bounce houses on the books or even explicitly excluded bounce houses from regulation.

The authors also point out that these injuries are only the tip of the swollen iceberg. It is likely that the team’s documentation, however comprehensive, may have missed some weather-related incidents. And other research has beloved that about 10,000 Americans are sent to the emergency room annually as a result of bounce houses, usually with broken bones or concussions. Bounce house injuries mostly affect children, and are probably no exception to those caused by wind. The authors cite a particularly tragic accident that it happened last December, when strong winds lifted a bounce house in Australia 9.14m into the air, eventually leaving six children dead when it crashed.

As fun as these structures can be, the authors say much more needs to be done to make them safe.

“The regulatory landscape is all over the place from state to state,” Knox said. “From our point of view, that’s not good enough. Bounce houses need to be serviced by someone who has knowledge of the weather and can recognize when the winds are at an unsafe level.”

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