Florida

Company Behind Bounce House That Went Airborne Involved in Another Accident

NBC 6 has learned the company that set up a bounce house that took flight after it was picked up by a tornado was also involved in another incident where a child was injured.

Insiders say parents should know the facts before their kids use the attractions.

The same company, All Star Events, that operated the bounce house that went airborne on Fort Lauderdale beach last month, also operated a rock climbing wall that was set up inside Marlins Park where a girl fell to the ground. The young Plantation girl was captured on camera plummeting more than 20 feet to the ground back in 2012.

"The cable snapped and I fell on my back," she said after the accident. The girl suffered a concussion. Three years later, her attorney is still fighting the case in court.

"It was an accident literally waiting to happen," attorney Joe Slama said. "This entire industry is totally unregulated. In the state of Florida there's not a single regulation that governors these companies."

Studies show climbing accidents are on the rise, the same with bounce houses. There have been more than 113,000 injuries in ten years in a virtually unregulated industry.

"There's no accountability," Slama said.

Unlike other states, there are no requirement for companies to report accidents or to follow national safety guidelines. Some local business owners are working right now to change that.

"So everybody will have a set or standards and rules to go by," said Clinton Jones, who owns All Star Bounce.

Until that happens, experts are urging parents to ask questions... to make sure the operators are following the warning labels. And parents should do their own research, as well.

"It's very difficult for a family to really know what they're getting," Slama said.

Experts also say to ask to see if the company has an inspection checklist that is filled out every time a bounce house or rock climbing wall is set up.

We reached out to All Star Events and the company's attorneys in both of these cases. Neither returned our calls.

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