Tyre Sampson.Photo: Family Photo
The family of 14-year-oldTyre Sampson, who fell from a Florida amusement park ride last month, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Monday.
Sampson, aMissouri teenageron vacation, died after falling from the Orlando FreeFall attraction at ICON Park around 11 p.m. on March 24, officials previously said.
In thecomplaint, parents Nekia Dodd and Yarnell Sampson say their son, an “honor-roll student and football player,” was on a Spring Break trip when he “fell at least a hundred feet to his death” after being “ejected” from the ride.
The lawsuit is filed against a number of entities associated with the amusement park ride, including owner-operator the SlingShot Group, Icon Park, ride manufacturer Fun Time Thrill Rides, and Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, which manufactured the seats and harnesses.
Icon Park, Fun Time Thrill Rides and Gerstlauer Amusement Rides did not immediately responded to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
The complaint alleges the amusement park ride was “unreasonably dangerous” and staff was negligent to permit Sampson, who was 6-feet-2-inches tall and weighed approximately 380 pounds, to get on the ride.
The complaint also alleges that unlike “most” similar free fall rides, the attraction “only had an over-the-shoulder harness to ‘secure’ riders.”
Tyre Sampson.Family Photo
“The report confirms manual adjustments had been made to the sensor for the seat in question to allow the harness restraint opening to be almost double that of the normal restraint opening range,” Fried continued. “These mis-adjustments allowed the safety lights to illuminate, improperly satisfying the ride’s electronic safety mechanisms, which allowed the ride to operate, even though Mr. Sampson was not properly secured in the seat.”
“As noted in the report, there are many other potential contributing factors that may have played a role in the incident, and that is what our department is continuing to investigate,” Freid added.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
“ICON Park is committed to providing a safe, fun experience for families,” the statement continued. “We will continue to support the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services with their ongoing investigation.”
“Today’s report suggests a full review of the ride’s design, safety, operation, restraint mechanisms and history – which of course we welcome. We look forward to working with the Florida legislature to implement change in the industry, as the safety of our patrons is always our top priority,” the statement continued.
source: people.com
