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.
Comments