Tyre Sampson was 14 when he died after falling off an amusement ride last year. His mother was there as the ride was dismantled
Tyre Sampson plummeted to his death from the Orlando FreeFall drop tower in ICON Park on March 24 -- a ride described by its operators as the world's tallest freestanding drop tower. Bystander video showed the teen slipping from his seat seconds after the ride began its nearly 400-foot drop.
The owner's manual for the tower lists the ride's weight limit at 287 pounds. Tyre was just over 6 feet tall and weighed 383 pounds, according to the autopsy report. A lawsuit filed by the family alleged that there were no posted weight limits nor scales at the ride site. During the ride, the 14-year-old"slipped through the gap between the seat and harness," according to the state report. It concluded that"the cause of the accident was that Tyre Sampson was not properly secured in the seat.""When I got the call... everything stopped. I knew. I knew," Tyre's mother said.
The family filed a lawsuit on April 25 in state court against a number of defendants associated with the ride, including ICON park, the ride's operator, Slingshot, its manufacturer, Funtimes Handels, or the manufacturer of the ride's chairs, Gerstlauer Amusement Rides. Scott Rost, a local attorney for the ride's Austria-based manufacturer Funtimes, told CNN:"On behalf of our client, we are saddened by the tragic death of Tyre Sampson," and added that the company is"pleased that the park and operator has reached a settlement with the family."Rost declined to comment on the merits of the family's lawsuit but did note that"the Florida Agriculture report show that there were alterations to the ride beyond what was manufactured.
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