Orlando drone show accident: 7-year-old boy hit by falling drone undergoes emergency heart surgery

A 7-year-old boy, Alexander, is recovering after undergoing emergency heart surgery following an accident at an Orlando holiday drone light show on Saturday night (December 21). According to his parents, Adriana Edgerton and Jessica Lumsden, one of the drones struck Alexander in the chest, knocking him unconscious and causing significant injuries.

The family was watching the drone show at Lake Eola when multiple drones fell from the sky, with one hitting Alexander. “Before we realized it, my daughter found my son on the floor unconscious. He had blood coming out of his face,” Wesh News quoted the mother as saying.

The Orlando Fire Department confirmed that one person was injured during the event and sent to the hospital. It was later confirmed that the injured individual was Alexander. His mother described how the drone hit her son with such force that it caused damage to his heart valve. “The blade cut his mouth, but there’s an actual imprint of the drone on his chest,” she added.

Alexander was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he underwent hours of open-heart surgery. His parents have called for increased safety precautions at large-scale public events to prevent similar incidents in the future. “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,” Edgerton said.

In a post to Facebook, Edgerton shared a photo of her son, writing, “God please be with me! My baby is going into emergency heart surgery off of just trying to watch a drone show at Lake Eola Park! I am beyond words beyond terrified! City of Orlando – Government and Sky Elements Drones really have some explaining to do. They will be held accountable for what was done to my son. I pray he makes it out of this!”

In response to the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) opened an investigation into the drone crash. FAA regulations govern drone arrays and light shows, and events like this typically require a waiver for operating more than one drone at a time. The FAA stated, “We thoroughly review each drone show application to make sure the flying public and people on the ground will be safe.”

As of now, it is unclear what caused the drones to collide and crash into the crowd. The FAA’s investigation is ongoing.