A bouncy castle at the center of a primary school tragedy that killed six children was lifted, spun in circles and thrown 75 meters by a ‘mini-tornado’, a court has been told.
Rosemary Gamble, operator of Taz-Zorb who set up inflatable equipment at Hillcrest Primary School on December 16, 2021, is facing a court hearing after pleading not guilty to safety law violations.
Zane Mellor, Peter Dodt, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan and Chace Harrison were killed after a gust of wind hit the school oval.
Three other children were seriously injured in the incident during end-of-year celebrations.
Opening submissions at Devonport Magistrates Court on Tuesday, prosecutor Madeleine Wilson said when the castle was set up it was a dry, calm and sunny day.
Ms Wilson said the school’s principal described a strong breeze that came from nowhere and lifted the castle 3 to 5 meters into the air before it ‘flew’ 75 meters to the other side of the oval.
In statements read to the court, several witnesses said the gust of wind resembled a ‘mini-tornado’, with one saying the castle was spinning in circles.
Several inflatable Zorb balls were lifted into the air with children inside.
A girl who was given a drink said she heard screaming and turned around to see “everything going up in the air.” One child said she saw a friend fall to the ground.
Hillcrest Primary School pupils Zane Mellor, 12, Peter Dodt, Addison Stewart, Chace Harrison, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones and Jye Sheehan (pictured clockwise from top left) died in the bouncy castle tragedy
Rosemary Gamble faces trial after pleading not guilty to security law violations
A man who lived near the school said the castle was overturned. He then heard a big bang and saw it wrapped around a tree.
All the children died after falling from a height, while Addison was struck by an electronic blower.
It is alleged that Gamble failed to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the children were not exposed to the risk of serious injury or death, and that Gamble had failed to ensure that the castle was properly anchored was.
The castle was tied down at four of the eight anchor points, which was not in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, Ms Wilson said.
“She had enough pins to be able to do that, and it was easy to do,” Ms. Wilson said.
None of the pegs met Australian standards which require a minimum diameter of 16mm, she said.
It is also alleged that Gamble failed to properly train and supervise the two Taz-Zorb employees, one of them her partner, who were with her at the school.
Proper tying would likely have prevented the anchorage from completely failing, Ms. Wilson said.
Paramedics and police are pictured at a scene at Hillcrest Primary School after five children were killed in a bouncy castle incident
Several children were also seriously injured in the incident in which a bouncy castle used during end-of-year celebrations became airborne
Hillcrest Primary School is located in Devonport, Northern Tasmania
Gamble, who was charged in November 2023, had exploited the castle at least a hundred times before in markets, fairs and schools.
Her lawyer Chris Dockray said Gamble had received assurances from the bouncy castle manufacturer before the purchase that it met Australian standards.
The manufacturer “didn’t provide any manual,” but Gamble downloaded a one-and-a-half-page manual from the company’s website.
Mr Dockray said the instructions were ambiguous and the company only provided four shares.
The sudden ‘dust storm’ could not have been expected and even if the castle had been tied down with eight pegs, the outcome would have been the same, he said.
Mr Dockray said a 13-page manual on the manufacturer’s website, which the plaintiff relied on, appeared online after the incident.