[March 29, 2022] A 14-year-old boy fell to his death Thursday night at the ICON Park in Orlando, Florida, while riding on a drop tower ride around 11pm. Cell phone footage, capturing the tragic incident shows that the boy, Tyre Sampson, plummeting from the 430-foot (131 meter) ride at about 3/4 of the way down, when the ride's auto-magnetic brakes slowed the 30-person cart, and exerted maximum g-forces to Tyrer's body. Tyrer, who never regained consciousness, was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after. Opening in December 2021, 'Orlando Free Fall' stands at 430 feet, making it the tallest of its kind in the world. Once the ride reaches the top, riders' chairs tilt forward 30 degrees towards the ground before free falling at speeds reaching around 75 mph (121 kmh).
Questions surround why Tyre Sampson, who was 6’5” tall and weighed around 340 pounds, was allowed on the ride, with friends of Tyre revealing that he was refused entry on other rides in ICON Park because of his large physique. According to eyewitness video, once Tyre is seated on the ride, one of two loading attendants, wearing red, engages in conversation with a group of 3 riders, seated two empty seats to the right, where he physically tugs on two of their harnesses. A second loading attendant in blue can be seen in the background. However, neither attendant physically checks Tyre's harness. At this time, a green light flashes on the ride loader's console to indicate the ride's harness' are all locked and functioning. The company that operates the ride says workers are responsible for checking lights on the system to ensure everything is properly secured. At this time, a third female staff member, the ride's operator, dispatches the ride, at which point a red-dressed loading attendant immediately yells to the other loading attendant "hey did you check the seatbelt on the left side, seat belt, seat belt!" It is thought the word 'seat belt' may have been used as it was easier to pronounce than 'harness'. All three ride staff were in reach of three separate emergency stop buttons, however these were not activated for reasons unknown. After Tyre is ejected, the ride's operator walks up to the loading gate and asks "did you check him, are you sure you checked him?" To which the loading attendants both reply "yes the light was on, the light was on, we checked him"
Investigation also surrounds critical safety equipment designed into the ride; including the proximity sensors on Tyre's harness that indicated a green light 'ready for dispatch' despite a gap large enough at the base of the harness to allow his body to be ejected. The ride was also designed without a belt connecting the horn on the seat to the shoulder restraint. While over-the-shoulder harnesses are the “generally accepted practice” for most drop tower rides, companies often install a secondary safety mechanism like a seatbelt that attaches the harness to the seat. If the harness system fails, the safety latch or seatbelt would prevent it from rising and also likely prevent a person from being ejected from under it.
"The focus of our investigation is going to be on the design of the ride and training of the staff on the ground, who may not have secured Tyre before the ride took off," said Bob Hilliard, the attorney for the Sampson family. "This young man, he was athletic and he was big. He had no way of knowing, this is going to be an issue of the ride design itself, a lack of supervision and lack of training. A straight-up negligence case." Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is working with Hilliard and represents Tyre's father, Yarnell Sampson, said the family is "shocked and heartbroken at the loss of their son, this young man was the kind of son everyone hopes for - an honor roll student, an aspiring athlete, and a kind-hearted person who cared about others."
The Orlando FreeFall, which began operations in December, was designed by Funtime of Austria, who also operates the ride through another company, Slingshot Group. The Slingshot Group also operates three other rides at ICON Park including Slingshot and StarFlyer. Other rides built and operated by the Slingshot Group in Florida include Vomatrons and Slingshots at Daytona Beach, Old Town Kissimmee and Indy Speedway.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office and the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, regulate amusement rides in Florida at all but the major theme parks. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Nikki Fried, confirmed Monday that the agency was working with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the incident. “We hope the subsequent findings will be able to inform us all as to how this tragedy occurred and will precipitate any changes necessary to better protect patrons of amusement rides in Florida,” Fried said.
