Over the weekend, three-year-old Ava-May Littleboy was playing on a bouncy castle at the beach, while her mother watched on.
But without warning, the inflatable exploded with a huge bang, sending Ava-May flying into the air.
Witnesses say the toddler was thrown around seven metres high, as those near scrambled to try and catch the toddler.
“Literally, it was just screams from everyone on the beach,” witness Zoe Dye told the BBC.
“It was almost like slow motion. Poor little girl was in the air. No one could do anything. People were trying their hardest to catch her and she just dropped.”
A nearby lifeguard immediately rushed over and did everything he could to keep Ava-May alive until paramedics arrived at the scene, but she was seriously injured from the fall.
“The young female was seriously injured and in cardiac arrest on our arrival, and was conveyed to James Paget Hospital,” a spokeswoman for the ambulance service said in a statement.
“Sadly, despite all of the efforts and interventions, she was pronounced deceased.”
“We would like to thank everyone who rushed to respond to the young patient, and did everything possible to give her treatment and care.”
Following the heartbreaking death, Ava-May’s family released a statement saying, “She was not your ordinary little girl, as anyone she met, she would leave a lasting impression on.”
“Anyone that met her would not want to forget her. Her infectious laugh and smile could light up even the darkest of rooms.”
In 2016, seven-year-old Summer Grant was killed when the bouncy castle she was playing in blew away with a gust of wind.
British MP, Robert Halfon, is calling for a temporary ban on bouncy castles in public areas until an update of regulations and an inspection regime has been put in place by the government.
“Another horrific tragedy after the horrific tragedy in Harlow in 2016,” Halfon continued. “Clearly there needs to be a serious review into regulations around bouncy castles. Just awful.”
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