An emotionally-charged television series based on the deaths of several children caused by an inflatable jumping castle being blown into the air is being shown around the world.
The Mexican series is available on international streaming service Netflix, titled ‘Accidente’ (The Accident). The original language is Spanish, with a dubbed English version available. The series premiered on 21 August and consists of ten 40-minute episodes.
The scenario tells of a birthday party turns into a tragedy and sets off a horrifying chain of events.
While the story is fictional, it has numerous similarities to the Hillcrest Primary School tragedy of December 2021 in north-west Tasmania.
Six children were killed and three seriously injured when an end-of-year fun day jumping castle became airborne in strong winds.
The series is said to be inspired by real-life events and social issues, as is the custom of 64-year-old creator Leonardo Padron.
“An accident is essentially a catalyst for exploring deeper issues, such as how we cope with and recover from personal tragedies,” he explained.
“Humans are incredibly resilient, a fact that’s well-documented. I’m focusing on four families to examine how they respond differently to a shared ordeal.
“This approach is compelling because it combines elements of a thriller, with numerous mysteries to unravel. Accidents often have a human element, and in this case, there’s a clear indication of human responsibility for the incident.”
Nevertheless the series has caused a stir with some Australian Netflix viewers, many of whom say it should not have been made available in Australia. Other posts suggest if viewers find the content disturbing, they shouldn’t watch the series.
According to movie review site abcentertainment:
“The Accident is a thrilling exploration of the darker sides of guilt and grief and how those emotions, when not handled properly, can ripple through and destroy a community. The intricate storytelling highlights how a single tragic event can unravel lies, pushing each character to their breaking point. The cast delivers genuine, emotionally charged performances that bring the characters to life. The show will leave a lasting impression by its end, making the audience think about how we deal with the aftermath of a loss.”
Meanwhile, the inquest into the Hillcrest tragedy is due to start in November, almost three years after it happened.
Thinker
September 9, 2024 at 09:24
If the velocity of wind is suddenly doubled, its power is suddenly increased 8 times.
If it increases threefold, its power is increased 27 times.
If fourfold, its power is increased 64 times.
These almost incomprehensible truths should be well understood and clearly concreted into amended legislation, and of course, rigidly enforced.
A jumping castle temporarily “secured” by pegs set at 45 degrees in earth cannot resist such sudden forces, especially when the castle’s surface area facing the wind is so huge.
So what to do about it?
Perhaps suitably sized deeply embedded inground concrete bollards under padlocked steel manholes several inches under removeable real or false grass wads would be suitable, with the connection between jumping castle and bollards being extremely strong elasticised material to prevent sudden link snapping.