Balloon Boy Safe; Accidents, Stories not Uncommon

CNN reporters say that a 6-year-old boy who climbed into a box that was attached to a helium balloon this morning was found. Shortly after the boy climbed in, the balloon began floating away from his family house. When the balloon softly arrived on the ground at 1:35PM almost 60 miles from where the balloon took off, the box and the boy were not with the balloon. It's been said that the balloon was soaring at about 7,000 feet off the ground. "Falcon Heene was just found in a box in the attic of his family's Fort Collins home, according to authorities." (www.cnn.com) "

Unfortunately this hasn't been the only hot air balloon incident in the recent news.

According to Live Leak, in August a hot air balloon caused major injuries to a woman in a crowd that was hit by a soaring hot air balloon falling from a failed take off attempt. This incident took place in Groningen, Netherlands.

The Times of India reported that earlier this month in China, four tourists died in a hot-air balloon. Five passengers who were from the Netherlands and two pilots who were from the area were injured and taken to a hospital. The pilot had lost control of the hot air balloon after it had taken off, he then lost control and the balloon caught on fire about 500 feet off the ground sending the balloon soaring into the ground.

ABQ Journal reported that in Santa Ana California, there were two balloon accidents which ended up resulting in minor injuries. Two people were injured in the separate balloon incidents. The first crash had a passenger in the balloon that was injured after he fell about 25 feet out of the gondola while he was playing a friendly game of Texas Hold 'Em.

He fell out of the hot air balloon due to the balloon hitting a vendor tent below, which sent the man flying. He suffered from a dislocated hip and a contusion on his head. In the second crash, a two passengers and the pilot fell out of the gondola while another balloon was attempting to land nearby.

After the passengers all fell out of the gondola, the balloon then crashed into the Santa Ana Star Casin's parking lot. An elderly woman who was a passenger in this balloon sustained minor injuries.

Sources:

The Times of India
ABQ Journal
Live Leak
CNN