Beware injuries from inflatable rides

Moon bounces and other inflatable amusements may not offer the same pulse-pounding thrills as roller coasters, but their safety is an increasing concern for state regulators and businesses that sell and rent such attractions.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has noted a “significant upward trend” in serious injuries involving inflatable rides. At least two deaths have occurred in the past 13 months, and companies are stepping up efforts to ensure that operators are properly trained.

Too many operators regard inflatable rides as “big and soft” and relatively harmless, said Mark Zientek, chairman of Responsible Operators of Amusement Rentals, an industry group formed in December 2003.

“People like myself look at them like a mechanical ride — you have to set them up and follow instructions and maintain them properly,” said Zientek, who is president of New Jersey Partyworks, an inflatable rental company in South Amboy, N.J.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, inflatable rides accounted for an estimated 4,300 injuries requiring hospital emergency room visits in 2003, the most recent year for which statistics are available. In 1997, there were 1,300 injuries.

The inflatable amusement business has grown significantly, said Scott Borowsky, president of the International Inflatable Products and Games Association in Ardmore, Pa. He said at least 1,800 companies rent them for children’s parties and other events, and an undetermined number of carnivals, fairs and parks also offer them.

Inflatables come in a variety of shapes and sizes. In addition to the common moon walk “bounce houses,” they include rock-climbing walls more than 20 feet high, as well as similarly sized obstacle courses and slides.

Amusement industry officials said most accidents occur when users don’t anchor the attractions to the ground properly or fail to adequately supervise riders.

In Two Harbors, Minn., 18-year-old high school senior Seth Kihlstadius died in May 2004 after falling headfirst off an inflatable obstacle course during a post-prom party.

His mother, Wendy Kihlstadius, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in February seeking at least $50,000 in restitution, saying the Lake Superior school district did not provide enough training for parents supervising the party. Her lawsuit also accused the companies that manufactured and rented the device of not ensuring its safety.

School district attorney Tim Strom declined to comment. But Bob Field, vice president of Cutting Edge Creations of Eagan, Minn., the device’s manufacturer, said his company includes a label warning users not to jump, tumble or flip on it.

“I feel sorry for what happened with the family,” Field said. “I take offense with blaming the ride.”

Stacy Sarrette, 24, of Saugus, Mass., died in May of this year, three days after falling off a 28-foot-high inflatable rock climbing wall. The company that owned the wall, Just for Fun of Danvers, Mass., reached a settlement in June with the state Department of Public Safety, agreeing not to rent out inflatable devices for the remainder of the time left on its annual license for the devices, or roughly through November, state officials said.

Massachusetts adopted regulations this year requiring owners of inflatable amusements 12 feet high and taller to carry a minimum of $2 million in combined bodily injury and property damage insurance.

Some inflatable rental business owners said such requirements force them to struggle to pay higher premiums while failing to stop smaller rental firms that don’t bother to obtain insurance.

“Having a $2 million policy doesn’t make my rides any safer,” said Joe Palermo, owner of an inflatable rental store in Norton, Mass., who has paid as much as $15,000 a year for insurance. “They’re coming down on companies like ours to make us comply with laws that are more geared to amusement park companies.”

In Louisiana, Democratic state Rep. N.J. Damico of Marrero said he is sympathetic to such arguments. A bill he introduced, now awaiting the governor’s signature, would lower the insurance requirement for inflatable operators from $1 million to $300,000.

“A lot of them are going to be out of business if they have to maintain a million dollars of insurance,” Damico said.

Several other states have stepped up regulation of inflatable rides in recent years, including New Jersey, Oklahoma, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

In New Jersey, owners must have a state license and submit to inspections if the ride operator plans to charge money. If a ride is rented to a homeowner, the ride owner must provide instructions on its use.

But some activists would like further steps taken.

Paul Franklin of Colts Neck, N.J., urged officials in his community last year to enact an ordinance restricting the height of amusement rides after his 11-year-old daughter fell off the top of an inflatable slide that tipped over, suffering a concussion. Township officials said the matter should be left to the state.

“When (inflatable rides) are installed as birthday amusements, the adults don’t recognize all of the dangers involved — they look like playground equipment,” Franklin said.

Industry officials said they are striving to make rides safer. The International Inflatable Products and Games Association’s Borowsky said his organization is holding several training seminars around the country over the next few months.

Similarly, Zientek of Responsible Operators of Amusement Rentals said his group is developing a formal set of training and certification programs for its members, which currently number around 70.

“Just more attention to detail is what it boils down to,” he said. “Here at my company, I run training twice a week, continuously.”

Saferparks.org, a consumer protection group, urges parents and prospective riders of inflatable amusements to keep in mind these safety tips:

• Be aware of the risks.

• Pay attention to weather and avoid inflatables on windy days.

• Make sure the inflatable appears to be secured and that the operator is attending to his job.

• Supervise children closely. Limit the number of children allowed in an inflatable jumping device. Never allow older kids to jump with younger children.

• If renting an inflatable device, ask about the operator’s experience, safety record and training requirements. Make sure it is set up by professionals familiar with the equipment. Have a trained operator supervise it at all times.