Parents of children killed in the Hillcrest Primary School jumping castle tragedy in Tasmania three years ago, have cried in court as they heard how the incident could have been prevented. It's the second week of a criminal hearing against the castle's operator who has pleaded not guilty to a work health and safety charge.
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00:00The Magistrates Court in Devonport has heard the Hillcrest tragedy could have been avoided
00:06if a different anchorage system was used.
00:09That's the view of Inflatables expert Roderick McDonald, who's been giving evidence at the
00:14criminal hearing against the castle's operator, Rosemary Ann Gamble.
00:18The mechanical engineer told the court the tragedy was a consequence of a sequence of
00:22failures, including that the configuration of pegs used to anchor it couldn't withstand
00:28the wind gust that blew it into the air.
00:30It was in December 2021, during an end-of-year celebration at Hillcrest Primary School, that
00:35the castle took flight, killing six children and injuring three others.
00:40Ms Gamble has pleaded not guilty to failing to comply with the health and safety duty
00:44over the incident, with the defence arguing she took all the reasonable steps she ought
00:49to have known to ensure everyone was safe.
00:52The court has heard four pegs from the castle's manufacturer were used to anchor it, at four
00:58of its eight anchor points.
01:00It's heard star pickets were available on the day, but weren't used as the operator
01:04believed they were a tripping hazard.
01:06Mr McDonald told the court if eight star pickets were used instead of the four pegs, the castle
01:13would have endured the wind event.
01:15He also said if eight industry standard pegs were used, it would have minimised the consequences.
01:21Parents sitting in the back of the court wiped away tears as Mr McDonald delivered
01:26his evidence.
01:27The hearing will continue until Friday.