A five-year-old boy tragically lost his life at the Regency Furniture Stadium this weekend.
The child, who hailed from La Plata, Maryland, was playing inside a bouncy house at the Waldorf venue when it was blown into the air and landed on the field where the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs were playing a Minor League Baseball game.
According to WTOP, a county spokesperson has revealed that a gust of wind blew the bouncy house 15-20 feet into the air, with several kids falling out before it landed.
“Charles County EMS personnel, who were already stationed at the stadium for the game, along with trainers from the baseball team and several Volunteer first responders who were in attendance, swiftly began patient care within minutes of the incident,” the county relayed in a news release Saturday.
The child was flown to Children’s National Hospital in D.C. and was later pronounced dead.
A second child also suffered severe injuries from the incident but is expected to survive.
A five-year-old boy has died and another was injured when a jumping castle they were inside went airborne during a baseball game in Maryland, USA.
The castle flew onto the playing field at Regency Furniture Stadium as the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball team was playing.… pic.twitter.com/qlPlfOcH11
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) August 4, 2024
Eyewitness At Minor League Baseball Tells What She Saw
Marie Ragano, who was in the stadium for the “Faith and Family Night” event at the game, recalled the traumatizing experience.
“All of a sudden, I saw the bounce house come flying through the air,” she said
“As it came flying through the air, I saw something fly out of it. But I didn’t know if it was a child or not until I saw both teams’ players go running out into right field. I’m really sad that a child’s out there playing … something like that happens. It’s just so sad.”
“We go to carnivals and stuff. You always wonder … is everything put together correctly?” she continued. “You see these bounce houses flying through the air all the time on the news, so I’m not quite sure why this wasn’t anchored better.”
The Blue Crabs postponed the game, as well as the fixture they had scheduled for Sunday.
They are also “offering counseling and support to families, players, and fans who attended” the game.
“Our entire organization shares our condolences with the family mourning the loss of a child, and concern for the child who was injured,” general manager Courtney Knichel said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with them all.”
