Boy Flies Through Air in Inflatable 'Zorb' Ball, Onlooker Reveals What Happened Moments Before
A 9-year-old boy was taken to the hospital after he was swept up in a “zorb” ball Sunday during the Southport Food and Drink Festival in Merseyside, England, according to outlets.
The boy was reportedly enjoying the spring day, as he was “zorbing” around on a pool of water until a “gust of wind” carried him off around 2 p.m., U.K.’s Daily Mail reported.
For those wondering how this looks — a “zorb” is basically the equivalent of an inflatable human hamster ball.
One onlooker explained to Liverpool Echo what exactly happened at the festival. “It was quite breezy then all of the sudden there was a gust of wind.
“It (the inflatable ball) went over the trees and we thought it was a balloon at first before we realized it was one of the inflatables with a child inside and it landed right over there.”
You can see the video of the boy flying through the air below:
WARNING: The following video contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing.
A witness said everyone was quick to help the child after he landed back on the ground.
“Onlookers rushed over to help, the PA put an announcement out for security and St. Johns [EMT] to attend,” they said.
“They were on the scene within a minute or so.
“They were brilliant, took control of the situation and remained calm.”
The boy was air-lifted to the hospital and treated for multiple serious injuries.
The Daily Mail reported another child was actually “swept into the air” from the same unique phenomenon during the event.
Another witness told Sky News, “One child was blown out of the pool and the second just flew up in the air at approximately 100ft … and then landed heavy — we didn’t see him land, but we saw him fly up.”
They described it as being “very very scary,” and it caused people to be “quite shook up” by what occurred.
It was later reported a dust devil, or “mini tornado” was spotted the same day in a nearby park.
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