The Federal Aviation Administration is now officially investigating a holiday drone show in the Orlando area that went absolutely haywire, injuring a 7-year-old and sending the crowd running for cover.
Videos from the weekend event captured the drones whirring across the sky Saturday night before several started colliding and plummeting toward spectators below, including the little boy who ended up having to be hospitalized.
The feds are jumping into the investigation, pointing out, “Drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulation. Typically, these events require a waiver to the regulation that prohibits operating more than one drone at a time. We thoroughly review each drone show application to make sure the flying public and people on the ground will be safe.”
The mother of the 7-year-old told local Orlando news outlets her son, Alexander was struck in the chest by one of the falling drones and had to undergo hours of open-heart surgery. She said the force of the drone impact damaged one of Alexander’s heart valves.
It is not yet clear what caused the drones to collide in midair, which is what the FAA is trying to figure out at a crucial time, no less.
Not only are these kinds of drone shows common in cities around the holidays, but as we’ve reported … there’s already widespread panic about a wave of unidentified drones — especially in the northeast — filling the sky.