A jumping castle at the center of a primary school tragedy that left six children dead was lifted, spun in circles and thrown 75 meters by a “mini tornado”, a court has heard.
Rosemary Gamble, a Taz-Zorb operator who installed inflatable equipment at Hillcrest Elementary School on December 16, 2021, faces 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 died after a gust of wind on the school oval.
Three other children were seriously injured in the incident during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
In opening appearances at Devonport Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, prosecutor Madeleine Wilson said when the castle was set up, it was a dry, calm and sunny day.
Wilson said the school’s headteacher described a strong breeze that came out of nowhere and lifted the castle 3 to 5 meters into the air before “flying” 75 meters to the other side of the oval.
In statements read to the court, several witnesses said the gust of wind was like a “mini tornado”, with one of them saying the castle was spinning in circles.
Several inflatable Zorb balls with children inside were lifted into the air.
A girl who was having a drink said she heard screams and turned to see “everything flying into the air.” A girl said she saw a friend fall to the ground.
Hillcrest Primary School students Zane Mellor, 12, Peter Dodt, Addison Stewart, Chace Harrison, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones and Jye Sheehan (pictured clockwise from top left) They died in the jumping castle tragedy.
Rosemary Gamble faces a court hearing after pleading not guilty to security law violations.
A man who lives near the school said the castle was knocked down. Then he heard a loud bang and saw it wrapped around a tree.
All of the children died after falling from a height, while Addison was hit with an electronic blower.
It is alleged Gamble failed to take all reasonable steps to ensure the children were not exposed to the risk of serious injury or death and failed to ensure the castle was properly anchored.
The castle was tied down at four of its eight anchor points, which did not follow the manufacturer’s manual, Wilson said.
“I had enough pegs to be able to do that, and it was easy to do,” Mrs. Wilson said.
None of the plugs met Australian standards requiring a minimum diameter of 16mm, he said.
It is also alleged that Gamble failed to properly train and supervise the two Taz-Zorb workers, one of them her partner, who were with her at the school.
Proper anchoring likely would have prevented the anchor from failing completely, Wilson said.
Paramedics and police appear at a scene at Hillcrest Primary School after five children died in a jumping castle incident.
Several children were also seriously injured in the incident in which a jumping castle used during New Year’s Eve celebrations went flying.
Hillcrest Primary School is in Devonport, northern Tasmania.
Gamble, charged in November 2023, had operated the castle at least 100 times previously at markets, fairs and schools.
His lawyer Chris Dockray said Gamble, before the purchase, had obtained a guarantee from the manufacturer of the jumping castle that it met Australian standards.
The manufacturer “did not provide any manual,” but Gamble downloaded a one-and-a-half-page guide from the company’s website.
Dockray said the instructions were ambiguous and the company only provided four shares.
The sudden “dust storm” could not be anticipated and even if the castle was tied down with eight stakes the result would have been the same, he said.
Dockray said a 13-page manual on the manufacturer’s website that the prosecution relied on had appeared online after the incident.