A community party in southwest Montreal ended in tragedy after strong winds sent an inflatable bouncy castle airborne, fatally injuring a 3-year-old girl. The child, one of four kids and seven adults hurt in Sunday's incident at Ouellette Park in the LaSalle borough, died of her injuries Tuesday, Quebec's coroner's office confirmed.
Environment Canada recorded gusts of more than 30mph around the time the structure was lifted and flung through the air at an event hosted by Madre Dei Cristiani Church, the CBC reports. Six people were taken to hospitals. LaSalle's borough mayor, Montreal's mayor, and Quebec's premier all offered condolences, with Premier Christine Fréchette saying no parent should face such a loss. Coroner Martine Lachance has been assigned to investigate and may recommend safety measures to avert similar incidents.
A GoFundMe fundraiser to help the family with funeral and memorial expenses identified the girl as Ava Ciampini, the Montreal Gazette reports. "She was the light of every room she walked into, and the hole she leaves behind is impossible to put into words," wrote Stefano Giliati, who runs a youth hockey training facility with Ava's father. The page raised more than $200,000 within hours. This is the latest in a long line of bouncy castle tragedies. In 2021, six children died in Tasmania after winds threw an inflatable play area more than 30 feet in the air.
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