ORLANDO, Fla. (WFTV) – The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a drone show in Orlando, Florida.
Several of the drones plummeted from the sky toward the spectators on the ground.
A 7-year-old boy was seriously injured and taken to the hospital.
“The light shows going on, and all of a sudden, one of the drones just like, lost it, I guess, went haywire. Literally, looked like a bird that was diving for fish … then you just heard like this loud, like motor,” said Adriana Edgerton, the boy’s mother.
On Saturday, Orlando hosted a 15-minute free synchronized drone show at Lake Eola.
In a video, the star of the show seemed eye-catching but moments later, a seamless choreography turned into a mission to duck for cover after the FAA says several of the drones collided and fell into the crowd, injuring a little boy.
“My daughter found my son on the floor unconscious, blood coming out his face and then it was just like the worst, because not only is he laying there like, you know, the EMTs are trying to help, but he was losing consciousness. His heartbeat kept stopping. He was stopping breathing,” Edgerton said.
The city said the boy was rushed to the hospital and his parents said he is scheduled to undergo heart surgery.
The city says Sky Limit, a company based in Fort Worth, Texas, operated the drone show. This light show was the second time the company worked with the city of Orlando.
According to the FAA, the company has 14 licensed pilots operating the show using computer software. The show was confined to a specific area using geofencing.
“And drones can, you know, hit each other for a bunch of different reasons, you know, in that particular case, it could have been anything, a drone could have hit a drone. There could have been a bird,” drone pilot Paul Charbonnet said.
In a statement about that incident, the company said they “want to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those impacted at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday. The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused. 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.”
Orlando Fire Department confirmed one individual was injured during the drone show.
Copyright 2024 WFTV via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.