14 year old killed after being thrown from “drop tower” ride
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Parents File Lawsuit Over Son’s Fatal Fall From Amusement Ride
Parents File Lawsuit Over Son’s Fatal Fall From Amusement Ride
Tyre Sampson, 14, died after falling from the 430-foot-tall Free Fall ride at an amusement park in Orlando, Fla., last month. The lawsuit says a seatbelt could have saved his life.
Tyre Sampson, 14, died on March 24 after he was ejected from the Free Fall drop tower ride at ICON Park in Orlando, Fla., a lawsuit filed by his parents says.
By Christine Hauser
The parents of a 14-year-old Missouri boy who fell to his death from a ride in Florida in March have sued the amusement park, the ride’s operators and its manufacturer for negligence, saying there were no seatbelts or warnings about height and weight restrictions.
Nekia Dodd and Yarnell Sampson, the parents of the teenager, Tyre Sampson, filed the lawsuit on Monday in circuit court in Orange County, Fla. It names ICON Park, the manufacturers of the Free Fall ride and its safety harnesses, the ride’s owner and its operators among the defendants.
The lawsuit is seeking a jury trial.
On March 24, Tyre, a middle school student, went to ICON Park in Orlando, Fla., during his spring break, the document says. At about 11 p.m., he climbed into the Free Fall ride, which plummets to the ground from 430 feet at more than 75 miles per hour, the lawsuit says.
The ride had an “over-the-shoulder harness” but no seatbelt, it says. Tyre, who was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed about 380 pounds, was not advised about any weight or height restrictions by employees, and none were posted, the lawsuit says. His weight was “significantly over the weight restriction listed in the ride’s manual,” one of the lawyers who filed the lawsuit, Ben Crump, said in a statement.
As the drop tower was falling, Tyre was “ejected out of his seat and fell at least a hundred feet to his death,” the lawsuit says. The suit says that Tyre was not given adequate emergency medical attention after the fall.
“Tyre was a fourteen-year-old young boy who was an honor-roll student and football player,” the lawsuit says. “Despite his prowess on the football field, he was known as a kind-hearted person who cared about others. Tyre had a long and prosperous life in front of him that was cut short by this tragic event.”
The suit says the park failed to train employees to enforce safety measures and operate the ride in a way that avoided “foreseeable injury and death.” Other allegations include that the park failed to install a secondary restraint and that it did not have a way of confirming that restraints were secure.
“This is a cascade of grossly negligent conduct by a full team of culpable and sophisticated defendants — all willing to sacrifice the simplest of safety measures to assure themselves the quickest and biggest payday possible,” Bob Hilliard, one of the lawyers representing Tyre’s father, said in a statement.
A representative for ICON Park could not be reached. Trevor Arnold, a lawyer for the ride’s owner, Orlando Slingshot, said in a statement that the company “continues to fully cooperate with the State during its investigation.”
“We reiterate that all protocols, procedures and safety measures provided by the manufacturer of the ride were followed,” Mr. Arnold said.
An investigation by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services found that adjustments had been made to the “sensor of the seat in question to allow the harness restraint opening to be almost double that of the normal restraint opening range,” the department’s commissioner, Nikki Fried, said at a news conference last week. That adjustment allowed the safety mechanism to operate even though Tyre was not secured in the seat, she said.
Tyre was a student at City Garden Montessori School in St. Louis. School leaders said in a statement last month that he was “a beloved and treasured member of our City Garden family.”
In a news conference in St. Louis on Tuesday, Ms. Dodd called for the Free Fall ride to be taken down and said it was “disgusting” that adding seatbelt to the ride would reportedly cost $22 per seat, citing a figure from the lawsuit.
“You didn’t want to miss a dollar but you stripped me of my son?” she asked.
Ms. Dodd described receiving a phone call from relatives in Florida who told her that Tyre, whom she described as a “gentle giant,” would not be coming home from spring break.
“Not to be there, as a mother, to comfort and tell him it was going to be OK, it’s disturbing and heart-wrenching,” she said. “I don’t wish that on any parent.”
In a separate news conference outside ICON Park on Tuesday, Mr. Sampson said he first learned of his son’s death because a video of Tyre’s fall was circulating on the internet.
“When I found out that was my child, it took the breath out of me,” he said. “It took some life out of me as well.”
Mr. Sampson echoed Ms. Dodd’s call for safety improvements.
“It’s senseless that a child is going to lose their life while trying to have fun,” he said. “It shouldn’t be profit over safety, it should be safety over profit.”
Teen who fatally fell from Orlando drop tower nearly 100 pounds over limit, autopsy report shows
A 14-year-old boy who fell to his death from an Orlando thrill ride in March was nearly 100 pounds over the weight limit of the attraction, according to an autopsy report released by the Orlando medical examiner’s office.
www.clickorlando.com
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A 14-year-old boy who fell to his death from an Orlando thrill ride in March was nearly 100 pounds over the weight limit of the attraction, according to an autopsy report released by the Orlando medical examiner’s office Monday.
Tyre Sampson died on March 24 when he fell from the drop tower attraction at ICON Park in Orlando while visiting from Missouri on spring break. He slipped out of his seat about halfway down the Orlando FreeFall
The autopsy report revealed the teen weighed 383 pounds and was just over 6 feet tall. According to a manual produced by the manufacturer of the ride, Funtime Thrill Rides, the maximum weight allowance for Orlando FreeFall is listed as 130 kilograms, or 286 pounds.
The medical examiner found the 14-year-old had numerous fractures, including to the face, skull, ribs and legs. He also had lacerations to his face, stomach, arms and feet. The autopsy report shows the boy’s death died of blunt force trauma.
Orlando Slingshot Group released a statement following the release of the autopsy report.
A lawsuit filed by the attorneys for Sampson’s family is suing Funtime Thrill Rides, the manufacturer; Slingshot Group, the owner-operator in Florida; and ICON Park, which leased the space.
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried said the state hired Quest Engineering & Failure Analysis.
The lawsuit alleges the ride’s operators should have known that riders could be “subject to unreasonably dangerous and foreseeable risks, and that serious injury and death of the occupants in the ride could result.”
Regardless, the lawsuit points out that the ride did not have seatbelts, which would have cost operators of Orlando FreeFall $22 per seat for a combined $660 for all seats. It also claims the manufacturer and operator of the ride should have made sure:
- There were visible warnings for riders about height and weight restrictions
- The ride should not have been able to function if all riders were not properly secured
- No one should have been able to manipulate or adjust proximity sensors
- A monitoring system should have been installed to make sure all rider restraints were properly secured
- A mechanism should have been installed to stop the ride if a restraint was not properly secured
Attorneys for the family of a 14-year-old boy who fatally fell from an Orlando thrill ride last month formally filed a lawsuit against the ride’s operators in Orange County Monday.
The attorneys for Sampson’s family said legal action was likely after an independent forensic engineering firm hired in the investigation into Sampson’s death found the operator of the thrill ride manually adjusted the sensors in the seat he was in, which made the ride unsafe.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried announced Quest Engineering & Failure Analysis’ findings nearly one month after the boy’s death. The firm’s 14-page report determined the ride itself did not have an electrical or mechanical failure but a manual adjustment in the seat he was in allowed the ride to operate even when it was unsafe.
Fried said the operator of the Orlando FreeFall made “manual adjustments to the ride resulting in it being unsafe” and allowed the harness’ restraint opening to be “almost double” of the normal opening range. The report shows the harness sensor of the seat Sampson was in was “manually loosened, adjusted, and tightened to allow a restraint opening of near 7 inches.”
“As the FDACS investigation remains ongoing, the Department will not be commenting further at this time beyond what has been previously released,” FDACS said in a statement to News 6 on Monday.
the bossman
Superstar
They bout to cough up a big check. Still won't bring the young brother back. RIP
cornercommission2k12
so this were u dudes went
Story still bothers me. One thing when it's truly accidental. This death could have been prevented if the operator just did their job. He was a kid, big kid but a kid nonetheless of course he wants to ride something. The adults were supposed to protect him. They didn't. I hope his family is compensated handsomely. Won't bring him back but will make some of this better.
shyt feels strange because shortly before that incident I was on vacation and watched my son and nephew ride the similar ride at Busch gardens. Can't imagine losing one of my children like this smh
shyt feels strange because shortly before that incident I was on vacation and watched my son and nephew ride the similar ride at Busch gardens. Can't imagine losing one of my children like this smh
save $660, theme park owner brehs
I didn't watch the video but I'm sure the family will get a nice check from this but when things like this happen those close to the deceased know all too well that real wealth doesn't come from commas and o’s but rather being loved, loving, and being with loved ones. I know that's a little off track from the thread, but I just thought that I should mention.
RIP, lil breh.
RIP, lil breh.
Fanservice
Bih call me senpai
How do you not become alert when a 400 lbs person tries to get on a ride you’re attending? 
And real accountability doesn't come from financial games that will result in insurance payouts or someone declaring bankruptcy to avoid obligations.
Corporate malfeasance like this should have criminal penalties.
Corporate malfeasance like this should have criminal penalties.
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Update on this, i’m in Orlando and they announced they’re tearing the ride down
i honestly never saw the ride until a few weeks ago when I was on I-drive
if you don’t know I drive is International Drive and is like the Vegas Strip for tourists. The ride is right there in the main street for everyone to see.
Makes sense since everyone going through there are gonna be like “someone died there
”
i honestly never saw the ride until a few weeks ago when I was on I-drive
if you don’t know I drive is International Drive and is like the Vegas Strip for tourists. The ride is right there in the main street for everyone to see.
Makes sense since everyone going through there are gonna be like “someone died there
”
JayStarwind
Superstar
Update on this, i’m in Orlando and they announced they’re tearing the ride down
i honestly never saw the ride until a few weeks ago when I was on I-drive
if you don’t know I drive is International Drive and is like the Vegas Strip for tourists. The ride is right there in the main street for everyone to see.
Makes sense since everyone going through there are gonna be like “someone died there
I'm glad they're tearing it down. Imagine if his family lives nearby and have to see that often.
I was driving down I-drive when I was out of town a few months back and didn't even realize that's what that was until I got to where I was going. Eerie.
has it been out of commission since the tragic event? I would hope so
good they tearing it down...that was shytty ass engineering/design
good they tearing it down...that was shytty ass engineering/design
They prob was forced to scrap it because insurance was gonna pull coverage if they didn't.Update on this, i’m in Orlando and they announced they’re tearing the ride down
i honestly never saw the ride until a few weeks ago when I was on I-drive
if you don’t know I drive is International Drive and is like the Vegas Strip for tourists. The ride is right there in the main street for everyone to see.
Makes sense since everyone going through there are gonna be like “someone died there
Been saying this for a while. When I think of Grenfell, my bones get cold.
