Over the last two months more than 40 people around the country have suffered personal injury from at least 10 inflatable rides collapsed by weight issues or toppled by wind. Inflatable rides like blow-up bounce houses or inflatable slides are mainstays of many children's carnivals and events. Recent accidents involving inflatable amusement rides have sent many to the hospital.

Most inflatable amusement ride accidents are caused by improper anchoring, lack of supervision and high winds. There is a patchwork system that regulates amusement park rides including inflatable rides. Each state sets its own rules regarding amusement ride safety. Many states have laws that require amusement park rides to be supervised and inspected but only few states have similar laws for inflatable rides. Even if all states regulated inflatable rides in the same manner, there are not enough inspectors or money in state budgets to monitor the thousands of inflatable rides.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says that rides should be anchored properly according to the manufacturer's requirements and weight limits should be followed. There should also be people to supervise the ride.

In the latest inflatable ride incident, a two-story inflatable slide blew into the air sending 13 people to the hospital. While most injuries caused by inflatable rides are bruises, there were at least two deaths caused by inflatable rides last year. A man from Pennsylvania was killed in June 2010 when an inflatable slide collapsed and pinned him at a Cleveland Indians game. In March 2010, a five-year-old boy died when he fell from the top of an inflatable slide and landed on the concrete floor of an indoor amusement park.

Source: USA Today, "NY accident illuminates perils of 'bounce houses'" 6/7/11