Drones Fall Into Holiday Crowd, Sending Boy Into Heart Surgery

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that it has launched an investigation into why several drones collided and fell from the sky during a holiday show in downtown Orlando, injuring a 7-year-old boy who required open-heart surgery. The drones fell into a crowd of thousands of people watching the show at the city's Lake Eola Park on Saturday night. The show was permitted through the FAA, the AP reports. In a statement, the City of Orlando said the FAA "will conduct a thorough investigation."

Adriana Edgerton told WESH that her son, Alexander, required hours of surgery Sunday after being hit in the chest by a drone. "The blade cut his mouth, but there's an actual imprint of the drone on his chest," she said, adding that it hit him with such force that it damaged a heart valve. She said Alexander was knocked unconscious. "He had blood coming out of his face," Edgerton said. The show was put on by Sky Elements Drone Shows. Such shows typically require a waiver to operate more than one drone at a time, per the AP, and the FAA reviews each drone show application to make sure "the flying public and people on the ground will be safe," the agency said.

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