A children’s birthday party narrowly escaped ending in tragedy after a jumping castle went airborne in strong winds.
The bouncing house was captured on security camera footage as wind lifted the inflatable playground into the air in North Carolina.
Jennifer Beane, who posted the video on Facebook, said her five-year-old son was in its path as barreled across the backyard lawn of their home in Hickory, about 60 miles northwest of Charlotte.
"Then the scariest thing happens and the wind picks it up and comes straight for him," Ms Beane wrote.
"Michael said it grazed his head and his back but he took off running away from it. It could have been much, much worse."
Screaming parents rushed out of the home in search of any children that may have been in the house, but were lucky no one using it at the time of the strong wind gust on Saturday.
The children at the party, for Ms Beane’s two-year-old son, had been inside having cake and ice cream when winds of 40mph were recorded at a nearby airport, according to local broadcaster WSOC.
Only Michael was nearby at the time. Ms Beans said he heard the strap holding down the house break and began walking towards it to see what had happened.
She told the outlet the company that set up the house used four stakes in the backyard and warned the family not to use it if winds climbed past 10mph.
Ms Beane warned anyone thinking of getting a bounce house to watch out for bad weather, adding that her son says they can’t have any more in the future.
“You think to look and make sure it’s not going to rain, so it doesn’t affect the bouncy house from coming, but at the same time, just pay attention to the wind,” she told WSOC.
“Because even though we thought we were going to be OK, in a blink of an eye, it could have done some damage.”
