Deadly fall from a free-fall ride at Orlando’s ICON Park

​@VideoMattPresents talks about the horrific story out of ORLANDO, Fla. —
A 14-year-old boy has died after falling from the Free Fall ride at ICON Park in Orlando, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

The boy was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital, where he died from his injuries. He was identified as Tyre Sampson, who was visiting Orlando with his family from Missouri.

"We operate the ride with all the safety precautions in mind. Everything is in place. And this is why we're doing this investigation. We are working with those people investigating at this point," said John Stine, sales director for the Slingshot Group which operates the ride. Free Fall and Sling Shot, an adjacent ride run, will be closed indefinitely.

Victim's father, coach speak

"It felt like somebody hit me so hard in my stomach. I just lost, I lost, lost wind. And the pain behind it could never be taken away, and sorry's not gonna take it back and no monies, no nothing in the world to replace the young man. And it's just sad, a young man's bright future was taken away from him over a ride, an amusement park," Yarnell Sampson said.

Tyre's football coach, Arnaud Jones, in Missouri is also sharing his memories.

Tyre was in 8th grade and a part of a nationally ranked youth program.

"The biggest thing is, you don't question things that are supposed to happen, they teach you that. When you gotta good kid, straight A student, who never did anything wrong, never got in trouble, you know, you kinda question it, like, why him?" Jones said.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings issued the following statement, "I offer my deepest condolences for the family of the 14-year-old boy who died following the tragic incident at Icon Park. I look to receiving more information about what happened in the incident and what will be done to prevent it from ever happening again. The Florida Department of Agriculture and the Orange County Sheriff's Office investigations will bring clarity to the circumstances and next steps."

More tower drop ride deaths
Another incident at ICON Park in September 2020 left one worker dead after falling from the StarFlyer attraction. That worker fell about 50-60 feet. StarFlyer is a 450-foot tall tower that spins riders around at about 45 miles per hour.

Just last September, two workers at Glenwood Caverns' Mine Drop in Denver, were alleged to have forgotten to buckle 6-year-old Wongel Estifanos who fell from the seat to her death.

Those calls flooded dispatchers in the moments following the accident in the heart of Orlando's busy tourist district.

“The thing went down to drop, and when it got closer to the bottom, when it hit the breaks, the guy fell right out of the seat. Bam! It was the biggest smack I’ve ever heard in my life,” one caller said.

“He’s face down. He has blood on his feet,” another caller said. “They’re saying he’s breathing, but he’s not responsive. It looks like his arms are broken.”

“When he fell, was he up off the ground?” the operator asked.

“Yeah, he was up, he was on the ride already,” the caller said.

“The ride was going, and during the middle of the ride, the guy just came off,” a third caller said.

Some of the people calling mentioned the victim was heavy. When the operator mentioned medics would perform CPR on him, a caller replied: “He’s about 300 pounds. He’s hard to lift."

Investigation into Free Fall ride safety measures
Play Video

While a state ride safety inspector tries to figure out how a 14-year-old boy fell from seat number 31, there are key differences between the Free Fall at ICON Park and similar "drop" rides.
https://www.wesh.com/article/viral-videos-march-25/39539272

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