A Hendersonville company has been fined nearly $40,000 after multiple people were injured, including children, in March when bounce houses went airborne during a windy Little League day of fun.
On Saturday, March 25, 2023, during the Transylvania Little League opening day at the Brevard Sports Complex, two inflatable structures got caught in a wind gust and went airborne, according to the Transylvania Little League safety officer.
Children were thrown from the structure and several people were struck by the inflatables. Officials say one of them landed approximately 400 feet from where it started, the other traveled approximately 200 feet.
Following an investigation, on May 18, the N.C. Department of Labor cited Incredible Inflatables and Amusements with seven alleged violations of the Amusement Device Safety Act of North Carolina with a total penalty of $37,500.00.
Violations include operation without certificates, operation after refusal to issue or after revocation of a certificate, failure to file a location notice, operation of unsafe device, removal or repair of device prior to investigation of occurrence, operator requirements and operation without liability insurance.
According to the filing, the inflatables were not properly setup and were missing stakes and tethers.
Incredible Inflatables and Amusements of Hendersonville has 15 days to pay the fine or file a written petition to contest the ruling and the fines.