A father playing on a bouncy castle with his children was seriously injured when his attempt to do a somersault went badly wrong.
The 45-year-old man suffered a serious neck injury while playing on the inflatable castle at Waihi Beach about 3pm today, Trustpower TECT Rescue Helicopter pilot Todd Dunham said.
The man had been bouncing on the castle with his kids "and it all went pear-shaped".
"He went to do a somersault and must have landed awkwardly -- so another bouncy castle claims another person."
The Tauranga man was treated by St John ambulance paramedics at the scene. He was still speaking and able to move his limbs, but was in quite a lot of pain.
Mr Dunham said the man was flown to Auckland's Middlemore Hospital for further treatment.
"You've got to get these people to hospital quick ... go straight to Middlemore, they're the specialists in spinal and neck injuries, they're the gurus for New Zealand."
The incident comes almost a year after several children and adults were injured when a bouncy castle blew over in Rangiora, north of Christchurch.
Earlier last year, a Northland company pleaded guilty to health and safety charges after an inflatable slide blew away, injuring four children -- including 6-year-old twins who broke their wrists.
The company, Trailblazers Northland, was fined $20,000 and ordered to pay reparations.
