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A father whose daughter died after a bouncy castle blew “30 to 50ft in the air” while she was inside it has told a court how he desperately chased after the inflatable.
Seven-year-old Summer Grant had been on a family day out at an Easter fair at Harlow Town Park, in England, when the bouncy castle was blown away, a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court was told.
She was rescued from within the bouncy castle and taken to hospital, where she died from her injuries.
Fairground worker William Thurston (29) and his wife Shelby Thurston (26) both deny manslaughter by gross negligence and a health and safety offence in relation to the incident.
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Prosecutors say that the Thurstons failed to ensure that the bouncy castle was “adequately anchored” to the ground and failed to monitor weather conditions to ensure it was safe to use.
Summer’s father Lee Grant, giving evidence in court on Tuesday.
Mr Grant said he arrived at the fair with his two daughters Summer and Lily, who was five-years-old at the time, his mother Sharon Stephens and sister Tasha Stephens between 4pm and 5pm on March 26th, 2016.
He said they first went on the waltzer ride, before Summer went on a bouncy castle.
“I just heard my mum scream ‘no’ and within seconds it blew away,” said Mr Grant. “I just saw some sort of cable flying in the air and it just blew away.
“I remember it blowing over some sort of caravan and [it] kept on going over the field.
“I started running after the bouncy castle down the field.”
He continued: “It was 30 to 50ft in the air and just rolling down the field, just rolling and rolling.
“I think it hit a tree. At the end of the field, it came to a halt when it hit the fence.
“I couldn’t find her. I couldn’t find the entrance to the bouncy castle as it had deflated by the time it reached the end.”
He said he saw someone go into the bouncy castle to bring Summer out.
Asked about the weather at the time, he said: “It was spitting lightly, a little bit windy, nothing to suggest a bouncy castle was about to blow away.”
He said he had seen another large bouncy castle being deflated as they arrived at the fair, but thought this was due to the time of day.
His daughters were visiting him in Harlow, where he lives, from Norwich, where they lived, he said.
Tracy Ayling QC, prosecuting, said a yellow weather warning was in place on March 24th, 2016, and was still in place on the day of the incident.
A meteorologist said the highest gusts during the afternoon had reached 56 to 64km/h, Ms Ayling said.
The trial continues. - PA