Fundraiser for boy, 9, who was swept into the air inside 'zorb' ball
Nine-year-old boy who was swept into the air inside inflatable ‘zorb’ ball has had ‘multiple operations’ since the freak accident: Child’s school sets up fundraiser to support family after being ‘inundated’ with requests to help
- School hopes to raise £1,000 to help pupil who was left with serious injuries
- Headteacher says staff have been ‘inundated’ with offers of help from the public
- A ‘freak weather phenomena’ saw Southport schoolboy catapulted 20ft in the air
A fundraiser has been set up after a schoolboy was seriously injured in an inflatable zorb ball.
The nine-year-old was inside the ball when it was swept into the air by a gust of wind before landing on the grass at Southport Food and Drink Festival on Sunday, June 7.
He was airlifted to hospital from Victoria Park with multiple serious injuries.
The boy’s school Holy Family Primary in Southport has set up the page to help support his family, and have so far raised more than £600.
The school said they have been ‘inundated’ with requests from members of the public asking how they can help.
The Just Giving page said: ‘The little boy who was involved in the zorbing accident last month goes to our school. He’s been in Alder Hey Hospital and had multiple operations.
The incident happened at the Southport Food and Drink Festival on Sunday, June 7
The boy was swept 20ft into the air after a freak gust of wind took hold of the zorb inflatable
‘We want to help support the family while he recovers in as many practical ways as possible.’
Witnesses at the Southport Food and Drink Festival said it was a ‘freak weather phenomena’ which saw the boy catapulted 20ft in the air.
As reported by MailOnline at the time of the incident, before the child can be seen soaring in the sky above the trees, other children were running inside separate inflatable zorb balls in a paddling pool.
As staff scrambled to help, the boy then slammed on to the ground.
An onlooker said: ‘There was a gust of wind, the inflatable zorb took off from the water pool with the boy inside.
‘The zorb then landed on a wheelie bin, the zorb popped on impact leaving the boy on the ground.’
Paul Holmes was among the onlookers who rushed to help the boy after watching the shocking accident unfold.
The 43-year-old had been enjoying the festival with his family when he noticed a quick breeze, and looked around to see two zorb balls in the sky.
Describing the panicked scene, he told the Liverpool Echo: ‘We were just stood next to the zorb pit looking for something to eat. There was a breeze quite quick and I just said, ‘oh that breeze is nice’.
‘In my peripheral vision I saw two of the zorb balls go up into the sky and I just screamed at the top of my voice ‘there’s a kid in one of those balls, someone catch him’.’
A video appears to show a whirlwind outside Victoria Park, with many people commenting to say the weather phenomenon was a ‘dust devil’, a strong, well-formed, and relatively short-lived whirlwind.
They often form as a swirling updraft under sunny conditions during fair weather.
Emergency services attended the scene and the boy was taken to Alder Hey hospital
The company behind the zorb ball attraction said they wish the boy a ‘rapid recovery’ and they’re currently assisting with multi-agency investigations over this ‘terrible freak incident’.
Louise Morton, headteacher at Holy Family Primary, said: ‘The entire school community continues to give its support to the family of one of our pupils who was involved in a horrible accident.
‘Over the last few weeks, we have been inundated with queries from parents, guardians, and local businesses who want to know what they can do to support the family going forward.
‘Due to the school receiving a considerable number of enquiries and following conversations with the pupil’s parents, we took the decision to launch a crowdfunding page for members of the public to contribute to should they wish to do so.
‘We ask that the media continue to respect the family’s privacy at this time.’
If you would like to donate to the page, click here.
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