A TEENAGER has died in a freak bike crash just four years after he miraculously survived a bouncy castle tragedy.
Lucas Reid, 15, was killed on New Year’s Eve when he collided with a telephone pole while out on a nighttime e-bike ride, Australia police believe.
The young man was cycling through Devonport, Tasmania, at around 7.30pm when the fatal crash took place.
A local resident rushed out of their home to help Lucas but he was sadly pronounced dead as emergency responders arrived.
Tasmanian Police say the investigation is ongoing.
Lucas had escaped death just a few years when he was one of the survivors of the Hillcrest Primary School bouncy castle disaster.
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Six children aged between ten and 12 were killed when an inflatable castle they were playing on was lifted 32ft in the air by a gust of wind.
Officials said the wind created a “mini tornado” which struck the inflatable.
The December 16, 2021, tragedy claimed the lives of Chace Harrison, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, Zane Mellor, Addison Stewart, Jye Sheehan and Peter Dodt.
Lucas was left with serious injuries and spent weeks in a hospital receiving life-saving treatment.
Around 40 students were at the event in Devonport for end of year celebrations.
Rosemary Gamble, the owner of the operator who supplied the bouncy castle, was found not guilty of breaching Tasmania’s health and safety act in June last year.
The decision was highly scrutinised by grieving parents and the community after it was revealed that only four pegs were used to tie down the inflatable, the Tasmanian Magistrates Court heard was told.
Tributes have started to come in for young Lucas with his favourite celebrity and AFL star Toby Greene among the first to release a statement.
The Giants captain had spoken with Lucas at a fundraiser event just months after the deadly accident where Lucas was in a wheelchair.
Speaking on Sunday, Greene said Lucas’s death was heartbreaking.
He told The Mercury: It is tragic news. Lucas was such a great young man and had overcome so much. His resilience and optimism really stood out.
“We met many years ago, enjoyed staying in touch and the boys all loved seeing him at games. The GIANTS family extend our deepest sympathy to the Reid family and friends.”
In the years since the bouncy castle disaster there have been several similar incidents.
In August, four children were injured when a bouncy castle was violently thrown through the air in gale force winds.
A seven year old was among those who sustained injuries in Russia and had to be rushed to hospital, according to reports.
In June, terrifying footage showed the moment a freak wind blew a bouncy castle 40ft into the air sending children plunging to the ground.
The incident happened when an unexpected gust blew the castle into the sky at a fundraising day at a school in South Africa.
