Inflatable slide injures 13 in Oceanside

A woman remained hospitalized Sunday after an inflatable bounce slide barreled end-over-end through a crowd of children and parents in Oceanside on Saturday.

The accident at Oceanside United Soccer Club's annual intramural festival and tournament injured 13 people seriously enough to be taken to area hospitals. Most were released within hours, officials said.

Cathleen Hughes of Oceanside was in critical but stable condition Sunday at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, according to a spokeswoman. Hughes, 36, who was at the event with her young son, suffered head and spinal injuries, said her former mother-in-law, Barbara Hughes of Uniondale.

"People think because these things are air-filled, soft and springy, that they're safe," said Matthew Mark, executive director of the Michigan-based Safe Inflatable Operators Training Organization. "When they're blown up, they're windsails."

According to Nassau County police, the two-story-tall blue wedge-shaped slide was one of three inflatable "bounce houses" at the event at Oceanside School No. 9E. Police did not provide the name of the company that supplied the rides or how they were secured.

A woman who answered the phone Sunday at the home of Oceanside United Soccer Club president Steve Padaetz said he wouldn't comment. The club retained counsel, said the woman, who didn't identify herself or name a firm.

Club marketing director Scott Buda didn't return calls seeking comment.

Winds in Oceanside on Saturday averaged 15 mph, with gusts of 20 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Manufacturers of inflatable bounce rides typically recommend they shut down when winds top 15 mph, according to Mark. The slides can stand 35 feet tall and weigh 1,000 pounds.

"Lack of proper setup comes into play, especially when you have adverse weather," he said.

In the last month, Mark said he's heard of four bounce ride accidents causing injuries. Children in other parts of the country have been killed or paralyzed in recent years.

The rides are typically secured with metal stakes. Manufacturers require 12- to 18-inch stakes. Sandbags of varying weight also are used.

"It was a pretty scary moment," said Thomas Rhatigan, 41, of Oceanside, whose daughters were among those taken to hospitals. "There were kids running and screaming, and parents trying to find their kids."

His daughter Lara, 7, received burns to her neck from the slide's rope, he said, and Nina, 4, suffered facial bruises when she was knocked to the ground.

Eleven ambulances from eight fire departments and Nassau County police responded to the accident, treating injured people ranging in age from 2 to 50, according to Oceanside Fire Department spokesman Ed Scharfberg.

The soccer club event has "gone on every year without a hitch," he said. "This was definitely very unusual."