Maryland child's death from wind-blown bounce house has parents question safety policies

BALTIMORE -- Concerned parents are wondering what more could have been done to keep a 5-year-old Maryland boy safe after he died when strong winds launched a bounce house 15 to 20 feet in the air and landed on a baseball field in Waldorf.

The Southern Maryland community is mourning the death of Declan Hicks, from La Plata, who was in the bounce house last Friday when it was pushed off the ground by a gust of wind during a Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball game at Regency Furniture Field.

"Just a bit of disbelief that something like that would happen so close to home," said James MacDonald, who lives near the stadium.

"Very unfortunate, very tragic," added Alisha Smith, who lives near the stadium. "No parent is expecting to be at a baseball game and experience that."

Parents living nearby say the children's play area is one of the stadium's most appealing features, and the bounce house was a popular play area.

"Sometimes little kids, they get bored watching baseball, so you could send them over there, they could go play, but you definitely think twice about doing something like that now," MacDonald said.

A study from the American Meteorological Society says that while these incidents are relatively rare worldwide, most happen during the warm season.

"To hear that a bounce house flew in the air, you would think that there would be better precautions taken," MacDonald said.

The official cause of the incident is still under investigation.

The Blue Crabs canceled games on Saturday and Sunday.

"Our entire organization shares our condolences with the family mourning the loss of a child and concern for the child who was injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all," said Courtney Knichel, General Manager of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.

A GoFundMe page for Declan Hicks now has surpassed $26,000.