1 child killed after wind gust sends bounce house airborne at baseball game

WALDORF, Md. — One child was killed and another was injured after a wind gust blew a bounce house into the air at a baseball game in Maryland on Friday night, local officials said.

Local emergency personnel received a call in Waldorf, Maryland, at about 9:21 p.m. Friday from the Regency Furniture Stadium reporting that a moon bounce house became airborne because of a wind gust while children were inside.

At the time, the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs minor league baseball team was playing a game, and “the moon bounce was carried approximately 15 to 20 feet up in the air, causing children to fall before it landed on the playing field,” according to a news release from the Charles County government posted on its website.

Emergency personnel who were already at the stadium for the game, along with trainers from the baseball team and several volunteer first responders, began caring for patients within minutes, the release said.

A 5-year-old boy from La Plata, Maryland, was flown to Children's National Hospital in Washington, where he was later pronounced dead, the release said. A second child also was flown out by Maryland State Police with non-life-threatening injuries.

Courtney Knichel, general manager of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs said in a statement released by Charles County that “our entire organization shares our condolences with the family mourning the loss of a child, and concern for the child who was injured."

Charles County Government Commission President Reuben B. Collins II also expressed his condolences.

"We extend our deepest empathy to the children and their families during this difficult time,” he said. “We thank our EMS team and the Maryland State Police for their swift actions to ensure the children received immediate care.”

The team canceled Saturday night's baseball game and is offering counseling and support to families, players and fans who attended the game, the Charles County release said.