5-Year-Old Maryland Boy Killed After Bounce House Goes Airborne At Baseball Game

Declan Hicks was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.

On August 2, a five-year-old boy died after a bounce house went flying into the air at a family event at a baseball park in Maryland.

According to NBC Washington, the boy, who was identified by a representative of the family as Declan Hicks, died during “Faith and Family Night” at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, where the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball team was playing a game. An inflatable bounce house, which had several children playing inside, went airborne due to a wind gust.

A press release from the Charles County Government stated that the Charles County 9-1-1 Public Safety Communications responded to a call about a moon bounce house becoming airborne with children inside it. According to the outlet, the moon bounce was carried approximately 15 to 20 feet up in the air, causing the children inside to fall before it landed on the baseball field.

Within minutes, Charles County EMS personnel, who were stationed at the stadium, started attending to the children, along with trainers from the team and some volunteer first responders. Two children were injured and taken to Children’s Hospital, where Hicks was later pronounced dead. The second child had non-life-threatening injuries.

“We extend our deepest empathy to the children and their families during this difficult time,” stated Charles County Government Commissioner President Reuben B. Collins, II, Esq. in a written statement. “We thank our EMS team and the Maryland State Police for their swift actions to ensure the children received immediate care.”

NBC Washington spoke to Hicks’ father, David Hicks Jr., who stated his wife was at the game with Declan.

“She’s trying to get through it, but it tears her up,” Hicks stated. “We can’t even come with words sometimes.”

“Words just can’t explain how remarkable he was.”

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Maryland Department of Labor are investigating what happened.