CASA GRANDE, Ariz. — Safety experts are highlighting the dangers of bounce houses and precautions the public should take after a Valley toddler died in an accident involving one of the inflatables.
The Pinal County Sheriff's Office said 2-year-old Bohdi Naaf died on Saturday after a gust of wind blew a bounce house into a neighboring lot in Casa Grande.
At least 479 people have been injured and 28 have died worldwide in more than 130 bounce house accidents due to weather events since 2000, a 2022 University of Georgia study found.
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Thomas Gill, a professor at the University of Texas-El Paso, said the wind has played a vital role in deaths and injuries associated with bounce houses since 2000.
“The wind has more power than you think it does, especially on a light buoyant structure like a bounce house," Gill said.
The American Society for Testing and Materials said a bounce house should not be used when wind speeds are above 25 miles per hour.
Gill participated in the University of Georgia study, which found that accidents were also likely to happen when the weather was calm and winds were lighter.
“What we found out was that a large percentage of these cases where the wind picked up or knocked over a bounce house happened on days when the wind was really not that strong in general or not expected to be strong," Gill said.
That's one reason why staking the inflatable down and using sandbags for weight is recommended to keep them from flying off even on fair weather days.
The study found most reported incidents happened in states without regulations. Arizona does not have any guidelines or regulations regarding the use of bounce houses.
“I’m concerned that, you know, these injuries and these incidents keep happening," Gill said. "I’m not a legislator. I’m a scientist. I’m not a policymaker, but I think states and jurisdictions need to think about what should be done here.”
A Valley party rental company, AZ Bounce Pro, walked 12News through the safety precautions and rules required with the rental of every inflatable.
The company secures every inflatable to the ground using a combination of sandbags and stakes.
AZ Bounce Pro Office Manager Marylin Tellez said they require customers to turn inflatables off when wind speeds exceed 15 miles per hour.
The company monitors wind speeds and sends text messages to customers when this happens.
“You must turn it off. It’s dangerous and a liability. Your children are inside," Tellez said.
Each inflatable also requires at least one adult to keep watch of the bounce house, the weather and the kids playing inside.
The bounce house in the Casa Grande incident was not a rental, according to a family member.
The Pinal County Sheriff's Office has not said how or if it was secured at the time of the accident.
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