A tragic incident occurred at a Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball game on Friday night in Waldorf, Maryland, when a gust of wind lifted a bounce house into the air, resulting in the death of a young child and injuries to several others.
Charles County officials reported that first responders were dispatched to the stadium immediately after the incident. The wind carried the bounce house 15 to 20 feet into the air, causing the children inside to fall before it landed on the playing field.
One of the children, identified by community members as five-year-old Declan Hicks from La Plata, was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and was later pronounced dead.
UPDATE:
More information is now available about the incident at the Blue Crabs Stadium in Waldorf, Charles County, Maryland.
Local media report that a bounce house has been blown over and at least one person has been flown to hospital.
His condition is unknown at this time. pic.twitter.com/yAaDWxNGzL— FlashFeed (@FlashFeed365) August 3, 2024
Charles County Government Commissioner President Reuben B. Collins II expressed deep sympathy for the affected families and thanked the EMS team and Maryland State Police for their swift response.
Courtney Knichel, General Manager of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, shared condolences and concern for the families. The team cancelled Saturday’s baseball game and activities and offered counseling and support to those affected.
South Potomac Church acknowledged Declan Hicks’s passing, noting that his grandparents are church members. The church announced a support session with crisis counselors at the Regency Furniture Stadium on Monday, August 5, at 7 p.m.
The La Plata Blue Knights Football and Cheerleading organization also expressed condolences, dedicating their upcoming season to Hicks. The organization announced that flag football players and cheerleaders would wear a patch, and tackle football players would have Hicks’s number on their helmets in his memory.
This incident follows another fatal bounce house accident in May, where a 2-year-old child was killed, and another was injured in Casa Grande, Arizona.