Boy dies when pogo stick flies and crashes on Maryland baseball field

A 5-year-old boy died when a bounce house full of children took off and crashed on a Maryland baseball field on Friday, authorities said.

The children fell from the inflatable, which was carried 15 to 20 feet into the air by a gust of wind, before landing on the field during a Southern Maryland Blue Crabs game in Waldorf, Charles County officials said in a press release Saturday.

The 5-year-old from the city of La Plata was airlifted by a state police helicopter to a children’s hospital and later pronounced dead, the county said. A second child was airlifted to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The incident was reported at 9:21 p.m. County emergency services personnel were already at the game and, along with team coaches and volunteer first responders who were also present, took care of the children.

“We extend our deepest empathy to children and their families during this difficult time,” Charles County Government Commissioner Chairman Reuben Collins said in a statement. “We thank our EMS team and the Maryland State Police for their quick actions to ensure the children received immediate care.”

The bounce house was set up at Regency Furniture Stadium, where the Blue Crabs play, to entertain children during the game, NBC Washington reported. The gust of wind carried him over a wall and into the field, the station reported.

Witnesses said the bounce house was protected by stakes driven into the ground, according to the station.

In a statement, Courtney Knichel, general manager of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, said the team “shares our condolences with the family who is mourning the loss of a child and worries about the child who was injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all.”

The team, which plays in the Atlantic Professional Baseball League, has canceled all baseball activities, including Saturday night’s game, and is offering support to families, players and fans who attended Friday night, the county said.

La Plata is a city of about 10,000about 70 miles southwest of Baltimore.