After an Orlando holiday drone display goes horribly wrong, a child is admitted

Started by admin, Dec 22, 2024, 06:22 PM

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A boy was hospitalized after being hit by one of several drones that crashed into each other during a  holiday air show Saturday night in Orlando, authorities  said.
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The boy and his family were watching the holiday drone show when something  slipped and several small drones  "crashed into each other and fell into  the crowd," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a  statement.
The incident  happened around 6:45 p.m. Saturday at  Lake Eloa  in Orlando, in front of thousands of  spectators, according to the  FAA.
The injured  boy's family told ABC News Sunday that he was hit in the chest by one of the  crashing drones.
The boy was taken to a hospital, according to  an Orlando Fire  Department spokesman. The incident occurred during one of two  drone-free displays scheduled for  the holiday season on Saturday night.  After the incident, the city canceled the second  display due to what it described as  "technical difficulties."
About 25,000 people were attending the family-friendly event when the incident occurred, officials  said.
The city billed the event as a  "dazzling display of synchronized drones flying in formation to create beautiful holiday-themed  patterns in the night  sky."
"Attendees will be able to sit back and watch the 15-minute light show from the comfort of their blankets and lawn  chairs," the city said in  a promotional video for the  show.
Video from an attendee showed more than 200 drones forming a red and green  Christmas display  as some of the  crafty drones began falling from the sky, crashing  onto the ground and  water.
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"Should I go down?" "Is this good or  bad," a child  asked in one of the videos  capturing the  incident.
Firefighters were already at the  park, maintaining an emergency tent set up about 50 feet from where a drone  hit the  boy, according to a city statement.  After the  crash, paramedics  arrived at the injured boy and began administering first aid,  according to the  statement.
"Our hearts go out to the family and  everyone affected by the outcome of this  event," the city  statement said. "The city will remain in contact with the vendor and  the FAA, who will conduct a  full investigation."
The company  that organized the drone show was identified by the city as Sky Elements Drones of North Richland Hills, Texas, a  suburb of Dallas. The company issued a statement Sunday  saying it  "would like to  convey our sincere  hopes for a full and speedy recovery  for those  affected."
Sky Elements Drones said it follows guidelines  set by the FAA to ensure the safety of its shows, which are seen by  "millions" of people each year.
"The well-being of our audience is our  top priority and we  apologize for any  inconvenience or inconvenience  caused," the statement continued, adding that Sky Elements Drones was working with  authorities to investigate the  incident.
"We carefully review each  drone display application to  ensure that the flying public and  those on the ground will be  safe," the FAA said in a statement.