A wrongful death lawsuit was filed Monday by the family of a Missouri teenager who died last month after slipped off an amusement park ride in Orlando, Florida.
Tyre Sampson, 14, died on March 24 after falling from ICON Park’s Free Fall attraction. Yarnell Sampson and Nekia Dodd, his father and mother, are named as plaintiffs in a 65-page lawsuit filed in Orange County’s 9th Judicial Circuit Court.
Orlando Eagle Drop Slingshot LLC, which owns the Free Fall, and ICON Park were named as defendants. On Monday, a representative from ICON Park could not be reached.
Funtime Handels GMBH and Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GMBH, an Austrian company that designed and manufactured the ride, are also named as defendants, according to NBC News affiliate WESH. A spokesperson for the organization could not be reached for comment.
On Monday, Slingshot’s attorneys issued a statement that did not directly address the lawsuit but did say the company is cooperating with state investigators.
“We reiterate that all protocols, procedures and safety measures provided by the manufacturer of the ride were followed,” the statement said. “We look forward to working with the Florida legislature to implement change in the industry and we are also supportive of … the ‘Tyre Sampson Bill’ to prevent a tragic accident like this from ever happening again.”
According to the lawsuit, the teen’s life was cut short unnecessarily.
“Tyre was … an honor-roll student and football player. 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.”o signs marking height and weight restrictions.”
“ICON DEFENDANTS owed a duty to its customers, including Plaintiffs’ decedent, TYRE SAMPSON, to exercise reasonable care in operating, managing, maintaining, designing, inspecting, constructing, testing, fixing, and/or controlling the amusement park rides located on its premises, including the subject Free Fall amusement park ride,” the lawsuit stated.
The suit also claims that defendants failed to train “employees, contractors, and agents as to the proper and safe height and weight restrictions for the Free Fall amusement park ride.”
While most rides similar to the Free Fall have a harness and seat belt, the Free Fall ride did not have seat belts, according to the lawsuit.
Tyre’s father’s attorney, Ben Crump, said in a statement on Monday that the ride and seat manufacturer failed to properly implement safety features. Tyre was ejected from the ride and fell at least a hundred feet onto hard pavement, according to the statement.
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