They are big, bright and bring bliss to youngsters at backyard parties everywhere; but pictures and home videos show giant inflatable jumpers can also pose very real dangers.

Video captured several giant jumpers taking off in high winds and landing on a busy freeway, which could make one imagine what would happen if lightweight children were inside.

"You want to wake up from the nightmare, and the nightmare you'll never wake up from," said Becky Pierce.

Pierce's three-year old son Jacob was killed in Washington while on an inflatable slide.

While some say it was a fluke, his mother argues it was preventable had there had been rules governing the operation and maintenance of inflatable rides.

However, there are no such rules in Texas.

Typically amusement park rides, like those at the State Fair, are inspected annually. Those inspections are then reported to the Texas Department of Insurance.

That is not the case with inflatables.

"It's not regulated," said Jerry Hagins, a Texas Department of Insurance spokesman. "It's up to the parents' own common sense whether it's safe for the children."

State officials admit they have no clue how many people are injured on inflatables every year.

The latest available report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission showed inflatable rides accounted for 4,900 injuries and four deaths in 2004, which was when it was last counted.

Industry officials suspect there are scores more injuries that go unreported.

Whether it's a private party or an indoor business, no government agency is officially watching to ensure the slide or obstacle course is properly inflated or the motor isn't a fire hazard.

At the popular franchise Pump it Up, inflatables are nailed to the ground and tethered to the ceiling to prevent terrible accidents from happening.

"That's your biggest concern I think," said Shannon Ayres, the Carrollton Pump It Up franchise owner. "[You're] wanting to make sure that as it deflates, it doesn't smother a child. This slide is probably 700 pounds."

But Ayres takes these precautions voluntarily at her franchise locations. "Nobody ever comes and says, 'I have to come look at your pieces of equipment,'" she said. "It is left up to the owners."

Often, parents don't know what to look for.

Ayres said she would welcome legislation potentially saving the lives of children like Jacob.

E-mail jstjames@wfaa.com