7-year-old boy undergoes heart surgery after getting hit by falling drone at Florida holiday show, parents say
Several small drones collided and then fell into a crowd at a holiday drone show in Florida on Saturday night, the Federal Aviation Administration said. CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG reports a 7-year-old boy was injured.
Officials did not identify the person who was hurt during the show at Orlando's Lake Eola Park, but they said paramedics at the scene rendered aid and the injured victim was taken to the hospital.
Detectives with the Orlando Police Department later met with the victim's family at the hospital, officials said.
Adriana Edgerton and Jessica Lumedge told CBS News the injured person was their 7-year-old son, Alezander, and said he needed emergency heart surgery. They told CBS affiliate WKMG that their son was hit in the stomach by one of the drones.
"The green one went straight at us and I went to the left and my son went to the right and it hit my son," Lumedge told CBS News.
Lumedge said doctors told her the drone shocked his heart, according to WKMG.
"The biggest thing is him right now, and just figuring out what's wrong," Edgerton told CBS News.
Local police will aid the FAA in the collision investigation.
Saturday's collision happened around 6:45 p.m. local time, officials said. A second light show, scheduled for 8 p.m., was canceled due to what the city of Orlando described as "technical difficulties."
Drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulation, with the FAA "thoroughly" reviewing each drone show application to ensure people in the sky and on the ground are safe, according to the agency.
The FAA reviews a number of areas, including the software controlling the drones, procedures on setting up safe and restricted areas to keep people a safe distance from the drone show, procedures in case a drone or drones fail and procedures if an aircraft gets too close to the show.
About 25,000 people come out to watch the drones, according to Orlando authorities. This was the third year of the holiday drone show, and it was operated by Sky Elements, Orlando authorities said.
Sky Elements Drones, in a statement obtained by WKMG, said it was working with the FAA and city of Orlando officials to "determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired."
"Sky Elements Drones wants to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those impacted at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday, Dec. 21. The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused," Sky Elements Drones said. "We are diligently working with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired. Millions of people see our shows annually, and we are committed to maintaining the highest safety regulations set forth by the FAA."
The Florida drone incident comes on the heels of ongoing mysterious drone sightings over New Jersey and other parts of the eastern U.S.
