Emergency heart surgery for boy after drones fell from sky at Lake Eola on Saturday night

Natalia Jaramillo, Orlando Sentinel on Dec 22, 2024

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Drones collided, fell from the sky and hit a little boy after “technical difficulties” during a holiday show at Lake Eola Saturday night left him fighting for his life during emergency heart surgery.

At approximately 6:48 p.m. the Orlando Fire Department responded to reports that a person was injured by a drone at the annual show at Lake Eola, according to a press release by the city on Sunday afternoon.

Fire personnel were already at the park, staffing an emergency tent that was approximately 50 feet away from the scene of the incident, and began to render aid to the individual immediately, the release said.

After the “technical difficulties” during the 6:30 p.m. show, the next viewing set to start at 8 p.m. was canceled, the release said.

In a post on Facebook, Adriana Edgerton said her son was hit by one of the falling drones in the chest and shared a photo of him laying in his hospital bed with blood on his lip.

“I have never been so scared,” Edgerton said in the post. “I can’t believe a drone show at Lake Eola Park – Orlando, FL turned into this. I’m scared, terrified for my baby.”

Edgerton said her son was going into emergency heart surgery on Sunday and said the drone company and the city will be “held accountable.”

“Our thoughts are with the family and all those impacted by the outcome of this event,” City spokesperson Andrea Otero said in a statement. “The City remains in contact with the vendor and FAA who will conduct a thorough investigation.”

The company behind the drones, Sky Elements, was in its second year of the contract with the city, the release said.

Sky Elements said they operate drone shows throughout the country with millions of viewers annually and are committed to maintaining FAA safety regulations, the company said in a statement released Sunday afternoon. The organization wished for a “speedy recovery” of those impacted by Saturday’s show at Lake Eola, the statement said.

“The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused,” the statement said. “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.”

The show is in its third year, often drawing crowds of roughly 25,000, according to the city. But there has never been an incident before.

The Federal Aviation Administration regulates drones and light shows and permitted the Holiday Drone Show at Lake Eola on Saturday. Now they are investigating the incident which they said began as drones collided and fell into the crowd at the park, spokesperson Kristen Alsop said in an email.

“We thoroughly review each drone-show application to make sure the flying public and people on the ground will be safe,” Alsop said.

The FAA reviews multiple procedures from the operator including: safe set-up, safe distance from the show, and procedures in the event a single or multiple drones fail, Aslop said. The FAA also reviews the drone software and whether the operator has an adequate number of people running the show, she said.

Eyewitness videos on social media show multiple green and red drones falling from the sky. In one video posted to X, formerly Twitter, user MosquitoCoFL Podcast showed drones falling as Lake Eola’s famous swans vigorously flapped their wings and quickly moved away.

City officials said the Orlando Police Department will help obtain evidence for the FAA investigation and have made contact with Edgerton and her son in the hospital.

________