3-year-old girl died after exploding trampoline threw her '6m into the air'

A 3-year-old girl died after being thrown from an inflatable trampoline when it exploded underneath her, an inquest has heard.

A young girl died after being thrown from an inflatable trampoline when it exploded underneath her, an inquest has heard.

Ava-May Littleboy had been at the beach in Norfolk, UK, with her parents and extended family when the incident happened on July 1, 2018.

Ava-May's aunty, Abbie, had taken the 3-year-old to a Bounce-About attraction.

Moments after she had her back turned, she heard a "really loud bang".

She witnessed her niece "flipping through" the air, with family friend Beth stating she saw the girl thrown as high as 6m in the air.

Ava-May landed on "the right side of her face", later dying from severe head injuries, the inquest was told.

Abbie told a court the trampoline had been highly inflated with stiff sides "rounded and full of air".

"I didn't take much notice of it – I thought it needed to be like it and that it needed more pressure. I just assumed it was how it was meant to be."

A police cordon around the Bounce About play area where the young girl died. Photo / BBC

Ava-May was placed on the trampoline by an attendant, with Abbie claiming she was near enough to grab her if she fell off.

Abbie then heard a loud bang like "someone had set off a cannon".

She said: "It was the loudest bang I had ever heard. The bang came from the trampoline.

"It looked like it had burst. It looked as if it was the blue bit which was tight and bulging. I saw a hole where the bulge had been.

"Ava took the full force of it. In a second, I looked up and saw Ava in the air. She was just flipping. When I first looked, I saw her face.

"Her eyes were closed and she didn't scream or make a noise. I think the impact had forced her up and knocked her out. It looked like she was asleep."

A female member of staff tried to catch the girl before she landed on the sand.

Family friend Beth, who is a nurse, tried to resuscitate her.

Abbie ran over to her family screaming "Ava's gone, Ava's gone."

Ava-May Littleboy, who later died in hospital. Photo / Just Giving

Beth said in a statement: "She went up so high, it was higher than my house, about 20ft. There was a massive thud and Ava came down on her face and tummy."

The 3-year-old was rushed to hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Ava-May's mother, Chloe, said she was in total shock when she saw her daughter lying lifeless on the sand.

"It was like being stuck in a horrible nightmare. It was all happening in front of me and I was hoping I would wake up from it.

"When they said she was no longer alive, it felt my whole world had crashed. I just kept telling her I loved her again and again."

The inquest continues.