A double tragedy has hit the Devonport family who farewelled their son at a funeral in the Tasmanian city on Friday morning after the tragic jumping castle tragedy that killed 6 students.
Glen Sheehan, the father of Jye Sheehan, was hospitalized just weeks before the accident.
Glen was informed about his son’s death, but could not attend his son’s funeral and the memorial service that was held on Friday morning. He had been in a car accident in November and was in a coma when the Hillcrest school bouncy castle tragedy happened.
Since coming out of the coma, he has been told the injuries will leave him a paraplegic. The Royal Hobart Hospital confirmed he was in a critical but stable condition.
Fortunately, their community has come together with an outpouring of good words and tributes for Jye, who was set to start high school next year.
Family members and supporters, including children his age from the community, gathered on Friday morning and remembered Jye as a fun-loving child who loved fried rice, soccer, playing video games, and talking to his dog after school.
“Absolutely devastated,” a mourner wrote on Facebook.
“Rest easy little man,” a cousin wrote on Facebook.
Another loved one who knew Jye described the young boy as a “happy” child who enjoyed a good sense of humor.
“He was such a happy young man full of so much energy and would make all the children laugh,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Sheehan family said the father did not watch the live stream of the funeral from his hospital bed.
More details of this tragic story from AWM:
The six victims in the jumping castle incident were Jye, Addison Stewart, 11, Zane Mellor, 12, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, 12, Peter Dodt, 12, and Chace Harrison, 11. They were all celebrating with classmates for the end of the year when the freak gust of wind knocked these children off the edge and to their deaths.
The parents of these children had expected to celebrate the Christmas holiday with them and hand over presents. Instead, grieving parents were forced to use their Christmas breaks to plan their little ones’ funerals because of the freak accident.
Two other victims survived the freak accident. However, they’re still fighting for their lives in the hospitals after spending a week in critical condition at Royal Hobart Hospital. These survivors are recovering from horrible injuries, including multiple broken bones, internal injuries, and blunt force trauma.
Beau Medcraft is the ninth child thrown from the airborne bouncy castle. They are recovering at home now because they were released from the hospital.
