Wind gust lifts bounce house at North Texas elementary school, injuring students
A sudden gust of wind hoisted a bounce house during a school play day event at Lawrence Elementary School in Mesquite on Friday, leaving several students injured.
School officials confirmed that the injured students were transported to a hospital for evaluation, though none sustained life-threatening injuries. Mesquite ISD has reached out to affected families to provide support.
"All other students are safe and continuing the school day indoors," said Sabreana Smith, a spokesperson for Mesquite ISD. "Out of care and caution, the remainder of today's outdoor Play Day activities have been canceled."
Chaos disrupts beloved school event
Vicenta Rodriguez, a parent and volunteer at the event, described "Play Day" as one of the most anticipated days of the school year. But as she helped out at the field day activities, she suddenly heard a commotion.
"My instant reaction was, 'What happened? Where did it happen?'" Rodriguez said.
Fifth grader describes terrifying moment
She quickly searched for her son, Isreal, a fifth grader at Lawrence Elementary, who told her he had just witnessed something horrific — a powerful gust of wind picked up a bounce house called "The Wrecking Ball."
"We saw 'The Wrecking Ball' fly over, upside down, and we saw kids fly out and blood and stuff," Isreal Rodriguez said.
Isreal said some of his friends were injured.
"So I ran over there trying to help and to see if they were all right," he said.
Parent questions safety precautions taken
Rodriguez believes the bounce house should not have been set up on concrete and that it should have been better secured with heavier weights or stakes in the ground.
"I feel they were careless," Rodriguez said. "I feel they could've double-checked, made sure that it was secure, and if they didn't feel comfortable with it being secure, readjust it or move it somewhere else."
Rodriguez hopes the incident serves as a learning lesson for everyone involved.
Bounce house company expresses sorrow
A spokesperson for Bounce 'N' More released the following statement:
"We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred earlier today at Lawrence Elementary School during a field day event. Our thoughts are with everyone affected — students, families, teachers, staff, and the broader community. As a family business, this has been truly upsetting for all of us at Bounce N More. In nearly 20 years of operation, we have been proud to safely support over 3,000 events each year across North Texas, and we have never witnessed an incident of this nature. The total health and well-being of our customers has always been our greatest priority, and we have worked hard to uphold the highest of safety standards in every aspect of our work.
"While today's event was self-staffed, an option available to all customers, we can confirm that all safety checks and procedures were followed during setup, including full function of all blowers, air tubes, and zippers, and anchored with sandbags as required for use on concrete. All safety measures were reviewed on-site and signed as required prior to the event, outlining evacuation procedures in the event of wind speeds exceeding 15 mph or rain, and with the unit's safety rules and maximum occupancy of four properly displayed. We are conducting a thorough internal review as we await more information, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to safely serving the communities we love."
District responds with support, investigation
Meanwhile, the district made counselors available for students and staff in need of support.
An investigation into the incident is underway.
"We are committed to reviewing every aspect of the event to ensure it never happens again," Smith said. "Nothing matters more than protecting the children entrusted to our care."
