MD Blue Crabs Cited After Little Boy's Bounce House Death: Report

WALDORF, MD — The company that owns the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs was issued thousands of dollars in citations in January, months after a 5-year-old boy died when the bounce house he was in became airborne and flew into a field during a team game.

The Maryland Department of Labor fined Crabs on Deck LLC more than $4,000 for failing to properly secure the bounce house, according to a report obtained by The Baltimore Sun. State investigators also accused the company of failing to follow restrictions on wind speeds and failing to properly train staff who operated the bounce house.

On Aug. 2 Declan Hicks of La Plata was playing inside a moon bounce house shortly before 9:30 p.m. when it "became airborne due to a wind gust," Charles County officials said in a news release. The gust carried the bounce house about 15-20 feet in the air, causing children inside it to fall before it landed on a playing field.

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Hicks was taken to the hospital, where he later died, officials said.

The little boy's family has since filed a lawsuit against the Blue Crabs and the manufacturer of the bounce house.

According to the Sun, the lawsuit claims the manufacturer's instructions were unclear regarding the importance of taking down the inflatable during high winds. The lawsuit also states the Blue Crabs' staff was responsible for safely operating the bounce house and should have understood the risks.