ORLANDO, Fla. — The Federal Aviation Administration and the Orlando police department are looking into a drone incident that left a 7-year-old boy hurt Saturday night in Downtown Orlando.
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The case happened just around 6:30p, during the Holiday Drone show by Lake Eola. “I was freaking out that I was going to lose my baby because he was losing consciousness,” said Adriana Edgerton, who spoke with a Channel 9 crew outside a pediatric hospital Sunday morning.
Edgerton says she was out with her family by Lake Eola, but what was supposed to be a happy holiday event, turned out to be a nightmare. “We were really excited to hear that they were having a drone show at Lake Eola, said Edgerton. “The light shows going on, and all of a sudden, one of the drones just lost it. Looked like a bird that was diving for fish.” The woman says the 7-year-old, who was born prematurely, has undergone open-heart surgery Sunday afternoon.
Read: FAA investigates after several drones fall out of sky during Lake Eola holiday show
Video shared on social media shows the moment when multiple drones came crashing down. Adriana says one of them hit her 7-year-old boys “My daughter found my son on the floor unconscious, blood coming out his face,” she said. “It was just the worst, because not only is He lying there like, you know, the EMTs are trying to help, but he was losing consciousness. His heart be kept stopping. He was stopping breathing.”
The Federal Aviation Administration is now looking into the case. In a statement sent to Channel 9, the FAA said multiple drones collied, falling into the crowd.
The City of Orlando had initially announced the two performances for Saturday but later took to social media to announce the second performance, citing technical difficulties. “I hope my son to come out, all right, is really my biggest thing,” Edgerton said.
Read: Drones crash during downtown Orlando Holiday Show, FAA investigation underway
The City of Orlando sent the following statement to Channel 9:
Our thoughts are with the family and all those impacted by the outcome of this event. The City remains in contact with the vendor and FAA who will conduct a thorough investigation.
Last night, a Holiday Drone Show was held at Orlando’s Lake Eola Park. The 6:30 Drone Show had technical difficulties so the decision was immediately made to cancel the 8 p.m. show.
At approximately 6:48 p.m. OFD was alerted to an individual who was reported to be injured during the show. Fire personnel were already at the park, staffing an emergency tent that was approximately 50 feet away from the scene of the incident. Paramedics began to render aid as soon as they made contact with the individual.
The Holiday Drone Show was a permitted event through the FAA. It was in its third year drawing crowds of approximately 25,000. This is the second year using the vendor, Sky Elements to operate the drones.
OPD Detectives made contact with the individual’s family last night at the hospital and will continue to assist the FAA in obtaining evidence for the investigation, which is being led by the FAA.
For further inquiries into the investigation, contact the FAA.
Channel 9 has reached out to Sky Elements and they stated “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.
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.“
A GoFundMe for Adriana’s son can be found here.
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