Inflatable amusement rides and attractions include bounce houses, moonwalks, inflatable water slides, jumping balloons and other jumping attractions. Inflatables seem like harmless fun until someone gets seriously injured; then you wonder exactly what causes injury in inflatable bounce houses, and how serious are they?

 Our bounce house injury lawyers note that the injuries caused by inflatable attractions are often excluded from reports that tally other amusement ride injuries, including most U.S. CPSC data. But U.S. NEISS generally collects injury and fatality data whatever the cause. And analysis of the available NEISS data showed that from 1993 to 2000, there were 10,252 injuries from inflatable attractions that required emergency room treatment. And the number of serious injuries during those years from inflatable rides and attractions rose from just 850 in 1993 to 1,918 in 2000.

 The popularity of inflatable attractions has continued to grow, as have the injury numbers. The bounce house injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC emphasize that in fact the inflatable Banzai water slide became notorious in recent years for the gruesome injuries and deaths it caused due to sudden collapses and deflations. Watch our video about the deadly hazards posed by the defective inflatable Banzai water slide.

 The body part most commonly injured in inflatable attraction accidents is the neck, in 11.8% of the cases. Our bounce house injury lawyers understand that inflatable rides and attractions could be deceptive: they look harmless, fun, and cushiony. But when they deflate or collapse, or become untethered from their anchors due to high winds or other forces, and occupants get ejected or tossed to the ground, the air is easily forced out from between the thin layers of plastic to leave your body impacting hard ground, concrete, or other objects with full force.

•  Sprains and strains are the most common type of injury diagnosis at 27.9%.
• Fractures are next at 23.8%.

Our bounce house injury lawyers caution that severe neck and spinal injuries, with consequent paralysis or death, are not uncommon. The horrific injuries and fatalities that brought the cold light of day to the defects in the Banzai water slide were often of those types.

 The Usual Causes of Inflatable Ride Injuries and Fatalities:

 Analysis of the available data for 1990 through 2001 by the CPSC showed the following hazard pattern:

•  Collisions of one or more people in the attraction, especially of a larger child with a smaller one, when more than one child is sliding or jumping at once.
• Falling out of or off of a bounce house, jumping balloon, or inflatable slide onto the hard surface beneath or into a hard object outside.
• Catching a foot, hand, or other body part in some part of the attraction while jumping or sliding.
• Sliding or jumping headfirst or trying to do flips, resulting in head and neck injuries.
• Wind gusts and storms that unexpectedly blow over inadequately secured inflatable attractions, causing children to be ejected onto the ground, into each other, or into other objects.
• Sudden, unexpected deflation of inflatable slides or other attractions due to power loss or other defects, causing occupants to fall suddenly to the hard surfaces below.

The bounce house injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC mention that in this season of festivals, state fairs, Halloween attractions, and seasonal carnivals, patrons should carefully take stock of the rides and attractions before risking themselves or their children on them. If the inflatables are overcrowded, poorly secured, or strong, gusty winds are in evidence, forego the rides for a later time. Storms are particular problems as they could cause attractions to become untethered, to blow over, or to lose power, even if the rain or serious storm effects have not yet hit your area.