Operator found not guilty in Tasmania jumping castle tragedy
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The Taz-Zorb operator has been cleared in the Hillcrest Primary School jumping castle tragedy that killed six children in Tasmania, Canada.
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Screengrab taken from video released by Australian broadcaster ABC and received via AFPTV on December 17, 2021 shows cuddly toys and messages left at a makeshift memorial outside the Hillcrest Primary School the day after five children died and four others were injured when a bouncy castle was blown into the air at an end-of-term school party in the Tasmania city of Devonport.
The operator of the inflatable castle involved in the Tasmania jumping castle tragedy that killed six children at Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport has been found not guilty of a workplace safety charge.
Rosemary Gamble, owner of Taz-Zorb, was accused of failing to properly anchor the equipment during an end-of-year school celebration in December 2021.
Gamble had pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with a workplace health and safety duty. On Friday, Devonport magistrates court dismissed the charge, with Magistrate Robert Webster ruling that her actions were not a substantial cause of the children's deaths.
Webster concluded that the incident occurred due to an "unprecedented weather system," specifically a dust devil, which he described as "impossible to predict." While he acknowledged that Gamble had failed to fully comply with her health and safety duties, only tethering four of the castle’s eight anchor points, he found that even full anchoring would not have prevented the tragedy.
Technical experts and weather witnesses supported the claim that the incident was triggered by a sudden, violent weather event. Gamble used both non-compliant and V-shaped pegs to secure the castle. Court documents confirmed she had enough pegs to use all anchor points, but their deployment would not have altered the outcome.
Families react with grief and anger
Family members of the six children, Chace Harrison, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Zane Mellor, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan, and Peter Dodt, reacted with devastation and frustration following the ruling.
Inside the courtroom, Zane’s mother, Georgie Burt, shouted at Gamble, "I hope you see them every time I miss a birthday, miss a Christmas." Outside, Gamble stood in tears as her lawyer read a statement expressing remorse.
"I never meant for something like this to happen. And I am just so sorry that it did," the statement said, adding that "Their loss is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life."
Peter’s father, Andrew Dodt, said, "At the end of the day, all I wanted was an apology for my son not coming home, and I’m never going to get it. That kills me."
The inquest into the Hillcrest Primary School incident, previously put on hold due to the criminal proceedings, will now proceed. A class action has also been filed against Gamble and the state of Tasmania.
Seven students were on the inflatable when the dust devil lifted it from the ground, resulting in fatal falls. Another student was struck by the equipment’s blower unit. Despite the verdict, many families continue to seek accountability through civil and inquest proceedings.
