A small child was left fighting for his life in the hospital after “several small drones collided and fell into a crowd” during an Orlando holiday drone show.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is now investigating the incident, which occurred at Orlando’s Eloa Lake at around 6:45 p.m. on Saturday. The boy, who has since been hospitalized, was watching the holiday drone show with his family when he was struck in the chest by a fallen drone.
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According to one of his moms, Adriana Edgerton, the 7-year-old ended up needing open-heart surgery because the drone electrocuted his heart when it slammed into him.
“The blade cut his mouth, but there’s an actual imprint of the drone on his chest,” she told WESH.
“He’s been asking every day, ‘How many days till Christmas, Mom?’” Edgerton continued. “Now all he’s gonna remember is that four days before Christmas he had to get open-heart surgery … This should not have happened, and no family should be going through this. We were trying to watch a show and have a good time.”
“Our thoughts are with the family and all those impacted by the outcome of this event,” the city said in its statement. “The City remains in contact with the vendor and FAA who will conduct a thorough investigation.”
As for the company that hosted the drone show—Sky Elements Drones of North Richland Hills, Texas—representatives stated that the organization follows FAA’s guidelines to ensure safety.
“The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused,” Sky Elements Drones said in a statement.
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