Civil suit to be brought against Fort Lauderdale in bounce house incident

Shadaja Bryant, 5, among 3 injured when bounce house toppled by waterspout

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – An attorney representing a 5-year-old girl who was injured when a waterspout lifted a bounce house into the air filed a notice of claim Thursday against the city of Fort Lauderdale.

Brian F. Greenwald notified Mayor Jack Seiler that he would be representing Shadaja Bryant in civil actions.

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Shadaja was inside the bounce house about 12 p.m. Monday when a waterspout swept it approximately 40-50 feet into the air. The notice of claim states that Shadaja fell out of the bounce house, injuring her left wrist and causing her emotional distress.

Greenwald claims that by allowing Shadaja to enter the bounce house, the city of Fort Lauderdale acted with gross negligence "due to the setup of the bounce house itself, the lack of requisite level of supervision at the bounce house's location, as well as the inclement weather conditions."

Fort Lauderdale police Sgt. DeAnna Greenlaw said the bounce house was provided as part of a city-sponsored Memorial Day event and was properly secured.

The bounce house was provided by All Star Events, which is also facing a separate lawsuit by the family of another child who was injured.

Shamoya Ferguson, 6, and Antonio Dent, 11, were also injured.

The notice states the Shadaja's claims include negligent actions and/or inactions of the city of Fort Lauderdale that directly caused her physical and mental trauma.

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