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A festive night of high-tech entertainment at Lake Eola turned tragic when several drones from a planned light show malfunctioned, crashing into the crowd and striking a 7-year-old boy. The child, who has not been named, sustained severe injuries and now faces a lengthy recovery, including upcoming heart surgery.
What happened
The incident occurred during a drone show orchestrated by Sky Elements, a prominent, American drone light show company specializing in aerial light displays known for making it to the America’s Got Talent finals and setting 12 world records through the Guinness World Records.
Hundreds had gathered around the lake in downtown Orlando for what was supposed to be one of two holiday-themed, 15-minute, free drone light show on Saturday, Dec. 21. But just as the show was beginning, drones dramatically fell out of the sky. Multiple drones fell directly on the ground, just where they took off. But one rogue drone barreled toward the crowd, where it struck a child. Watch it here:
That boy was sent to a nearby hospital, according to CNN affiliate WESH, who later reported that — according to one of his mothers, Adriana Edgerton — the boy was struck in the chest and underwent open-heart surgery.
“Everyone’s natural instinct was to duck and scatter, and before we realized it, my daughter found my son on the floor unconscious. He had blood coming out of his face,” Edgerton told WESH.
His other mother, Jessica Lumedge, set up a GoFundMe to help their son, who has since been identified as Alezander. According to the GoFundMe, the family expects to be in the ICU through at least Christmas. As of this post, the GoFundMe has received more than $6,000.
The second show scheduled for that night was cancelled.
Sky Elements, which was the team behind the show, released a statement addressing the incident:
“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.”
Sky Elements also told The Drone Girl that it is working with the Federal Aviation Administration and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause, where it’s seeking to establish 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,” according to Sky Elements.
What’s next?
While Lake Eola events are on pause pending the investigation, Sky Elements remains active in the area. Elsewhere in Orlando, the company is gearing up for another highly-anticipated display at the Orlando World Center Marriott. The show is set to run nightly from Christmas through New Year’s Eve.
And according to a performance schedule found on the company’s website, Sky Elements has been busy this holiday season already with dozens of public shows around the country — including a massive show in Texas that set a new record under the Guinness World Records for longest drone show (that show was 30 minutes).
But the news comes at an odd time for the drone industry which, over the past few weeks, has been marked by a period of drone hysteria — primarily due to FBI tips of more than 5,000 reported drone sightings in the past few weeks mostly in New Jersey. The FAA is investigating those as well.
“We have sent advanced detection technology to the region, and we have sent trained visual observers,” according to an FAA statement on the drone sightings.
But for its part, the FAA says it doesn’t see any nefarious activity in terms of those drone sightings.
“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and stars mistakenly reported as drones,” according to an FAA statement. “We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.”
Both stories highlight concerns about the safety of drones. The drone sightings have prompted concerns about drones flying over military facilities and other sorts of restricted airspace.
Meanwhile, the Lake Eola incident has prompted concerns about light show drones. While drones are often lauded for their environmental benefits and lower risk of fire hazards (and have become increasingly popular alternatives to traditional fireworks displays), incidents like this underscore the potential dangers of their use in crowded settings. That said, drones are still considered far safer than fireworks.
An estimated 9,700 Americans were treated in emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries in 2023, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. What’s more is that the number of injuries from fireworks have increased between 2008 and 2023, according to the CPSC.
[…] acogió con satisfacción la exclusión del Ley de lucha contra los drones del PCCh (Ley CCCPD) del lenguaje final de la NDAA. La legislación propuesta habría eliminado los productos DJI del […]
I’ve heard of this before — it certainly sounds like a definite threat. And I’m sure our government knows the dangers. But, as usual, they do nothing to prevent a problem, they just let it go and blame Trump.
This is a great idea. Why is it not advertised more? I found it by accident. I was planning on buy a drone and training an employee to operate equipment. This opens up new avenues.
