Chronic 'Bounce House' Injuries May Mean Looming Regulation

Inflatable "bounce houses" and other large-scale inflatable play structures may seem like the safest attractions at the amusement park, but injuries and fatalities stemming from these inflatables continue to mount.

The most recent incident occurred on June 4th in Oceanside, NY. Thirteen people were hospitalized when the inflatable structure they were playing in took to the air and began to tumble.

However, as Frank Eltman of The Associated Press explains, it is not so much these inflatable structures themselves which cause the problems, as it is a the lack of safety standards:

Inflatable amusement rides -- with their hit-and-miss regulation and a lack of industry-wide standards -- can endanger lives when not properly installed or operated.

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

A few minutes spent on Google will confirm this easily. Also, quite telling is the following quote from Eltman's article:

'I wish this was a rarity, but it's not. It happens all the time,' said Jim Barber, a spokesman for the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials, based in Brandon, Fla. 'These are probably the most dangerous amusement devices they have.'

The increasing media attention prompts a closer look at regulation for the inflatables. At the moment, there is little. This is partially attributable to the fact that most states are short on operating funds, combined with the fact that standards are self-regulated by the industry with no real outside oversight.

CBS New York notes this tendency in action at the site of the Oceanside incident:

Long Island villages, towns and counties have no jurisdiction over inflatables, because they're considered 'non-mechanical.' The weekend horror may change all of that.

'With more and more people using these inflatables, maybe it's time that we think about strengthening the rules and regulations,' Madalyn Farley, Nassau County Commissioner of Consumer Affairs, said.

Barber, quoted above, has also stated that in the case of rentals, the inflatable is dropped off with minimal instructions. Barber thinks that devices of this nature, with such potential for injury, should have an operator on site.

On a large scale, this could get complicated. The regulation of amusement park rides is handled on a state-by-state basis. While many have laws and regulation in place for mechanical rides, there are few out there that address the issue of inflatables.

George Williams is the head blogger for Denver personal injury lawyer Daniel R. Rosen. Dan has over 25 years experience handling tens of thousands of car accident and motorcycle accident cases. For more information, please contact the Law Offices of Daniel R. Rosen, (303) 454-8000, 1400 16th Street, Suite 400, Denver, CO 80202.

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