NASA wind specialist to advise inquest over tragic Tasmanian jumping-castle deaths
A leading wind researcher who has worked with NASA is expected to give expert testimony at the inquest into six children who died in a jumping-castle accident in Tasmania.
Six primary-school children died after a dust-devil gust lifted a jumping castle during end-of-year celebrations at Hillcrest Primary School in Tasmania in December 2021. An inquest that started on September 21 is probing the incident and any safety lapses. Authorities have discussed involving Ralph Lorenz, a planetary scientist who has advised NASA on dust-devil phenomena, to assess how rapid air-pressure changes could have affected the inflatable structure.
Coroner Olivia McTaggart indicated that Lorenz’s expertise may directly clarify the cause of death. Testimony will also include a police officer present at the scene and the mother of victim Zane Mellor, Georgie Burt, who described receiving incorrect information after the tragedy. The inquiry will reconvene on November 3 and will review whether national safety regulations need reform.
Why it matters
The expert analysis could shape future safety rules for inflatable attractions and prevent similar tragedies.
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