The magistrates court in Devonport has been told the Hillcrest Primary School tragedy could have been avoided if the jumping castle has been anchored differently. An inflatables expert continued giving evidence today, in the hearing of a workplace and safety charge against the jumping castle’s operator.
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00:00An Inflatables expert giving evidence that the tragedy could have been avoided as families
00:09listened on and wept in the back of the Devonport Magistrates Court. Six children died and three
00:16were seriously injured after a jumping castle was tossed by intense wind across the Hillcrest
00:22Primary School Oval nearly three years ago. Rosemary Anne Gamble, the castle's operator,
00:28has pleaded not guilty to a single count of failing to comply with a health and safety
00:33duty. The court has heard she only secured the castle at half its anchor points, using
00:38only four pegs, and that she had star pickets available on the day, but they were considered
00:44a tripping hazard. Today, Roderick Macdonald told the court, if all eight star pickets
00:50were used, it would have endured the event, and that if Ms Gamble used eight of the manufacturer's
00:55pegs, it potentially could have withstood it. Mr Macdonald also told the court she failed
01:01to meet a number of Australian standards and was not a competent operator of a jumping
01:06castle. But her defence claims some of her non-compliance mirrors the manufacturer's.
01:12Mr Macdonald responding, that could be fair. Mr Macdonald's evidence has already taken
01:17up more than a day in court, with the defences questioning only beginning this afternoon.
01:23He'll return again tomorrow. Today's proceedings wrapped up after Ms Gamble's lawyer said he
01:28had a cracking headache, and the magistrate agreed it had been a long day.