A five-year-old Maryland boy was killed and other children suffered injuries after a bounce house went airborne at a baseball game, the county said.
The tragic freak accident took place at a Friday night Southern Maryland Blue Crabs game in Waldorf, Charles County officials announced in a press release.
Emergency dispatch operators received the initial call from the Regency Furniture Stadium around 9:20 p.m., reporting that “a moon bounce house became airborne due to a wind gust, while children were inside it.”
The inflatable was carried approximately 15 to 20 feet in the air, leading to the children falling to the ground before it landed back down on the playing field.
Emergency medical personnel who were already stationed at the field for the game, the baseball team’s trainers, and “several volunteer first responders who were in attendance” began attending to the victims, the county said.
One young boy sustained “life-threatening injuries” and was rushed to the hospital by Maryland State Police, but was later pronounced dead.
A second pediatric patient who sustained non-life-threatening injuries was also transported to the hospital, the release stated.
The deceased victim was later identified as Declan Hicks of La Plata, the La Plata Blue Knights Football and Cheerleading organization announced in a Facebook post:
The LaPlata Blue Knights Football and Cheerleading Organization would like to take this time to mourn the loss of #9…
Posted by La Plata Blue Knights Football and Cheerleading on Sunday, August 4, 2024
“The LaPlata Blue Knights Football and Cheerleading Organization would like to take this time to mourn the loss of #9 Declan Hicks, a member of our flag football team, who was taken far [too] soon as a result of Friday’s incident at Blue Crabs Stadium,” the local sporting group stated.
After offering their condolences, organization officials stated that the LaPlata Blue Knights will dedicate its upcoming fall season “to the memory of Declan.”
“All flag players and cheerleaders will wear a patch and all tackle football players will have his number on their helmets,” the team said.
They added that each team in the Southern Maryland Youth Athletic Conference (SMYAC) has also offered to have their players wear Declan’s number as well.
“Always in our hearts and forever a Blue Knight, rest in honor Declan.”
Charles County Government Commissioner President Reuben B. Collins also shared his condolences, saying, “We extend our deepest empathy to the children and their families during this difficult time.”
“We thank our EMS team and the Maryland State Police for their swift actions to ensure the children received immediate care,” he added.
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs general manager Courtney Knichel added to the Charles County statement, saying “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,” she continued, adding that the baseball team canceled Saturday’s game and is offering “counseling and support to families, players, and fans who attended the game.”
South Potomac Church in White Plains also acknowledged Declan’s unfortunate passing, announcing that he was the grandson of members of the congregation.
“As some of you may already know, Elder Bill and Kathleen Young’s grandson, Declan, passed away from a very tragic accident at the Blue Crabs stadium on Friday Night. We are heartbroken,” the church said in a statement. “Please pray for the Young Family and all of our SPC family. When one grieves, we all grieve.”
A GoFundMe organized on behalf of Declan’s mother, Sara Hicks, shared that Declan was a beloved student at Blessed Lambs Preschool.
“He was a very special little boy who brought light and laughter to everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. To know him was to love him. He was a great friend, and a fan favorite in his 4-year-old classroom, not just with other children but with his teachers. Our heart aches for his family and our school family,” wrote the fundraiser’s organizer, Tiffany Goudie.