Tauranga bouncy castle incident: Four injured in New Year’s Eve incident recovering at home

Four people injured by an out-of-control bouncy castle at a New Year’s Eve event are recovering at home, including one with a fractured shoulder.

The incident happened about 7.30pm at Fergusson Park in Matua, Tauranga. Witnesses described the “terrifying” moment a bouncy castle blew away and rolled through the crowd and “squashed” people at the community celebration run by Tauranga City Council.

The council reported on Saturday night that five people were injured.

Geoff Pearson, operator and director of Rockup North Ltd, which was running the bouncy castle, told the Bay of Plenty Times on Sunday all safety protocols had been followed but a “freak gust of wind” picked up the inflatable and “ripped it out of the ground”.

Today, Tauranga City Council said in a media statement it had spoken to four people who were injured in the incident.

These included members of a “visiting” family who were at the event with relatives.

An adult family member was admitted to Tauranga Hospital and released the following day with a fractured shoulder.

Those affected asked for privacy as they recovered at home, the council said.

“Our thoughts are with everyone involved and we will continue to provide support where we can.”

The council was continuing to investigate the incident and was in ongoing communication with WorkSafe.

“It is still too early to ascertain exactly what took place, and it will take some time to conduct a thorough review into what happened.”

A WorkSafe spokesperson said it had not yet decided whether it would carry out a formal investigation into the incident.

“WorkSafe is continuing to make inquiries and gather information about this incident to determine our next steps.”