An amusement park ride from which Tyre Sampson, 14, fell to his death on March 24, 2022 (KTVI).
A jury awarded a $310 million verdict to the parents of a 14-year-old boy killed in a fall from a Florida amusement park ride.
An Orange County jury ruled in favor of Nekia Dodd and Yarnell Sampson, parents of Tyre Sampson, ordering manufacturer Funtime to pay them 5 million each. Tyre tragically passed away on March 24, 2022, following a fatal fall of approximately 100 feet from the Free Fall ride at Icon Park in Orlando.
“The jury’s decision confirms what we have long argued: Tyre’s death was the result of blatant negligence and a failure to prioritize safety over profits,” the family’s lawyers, Ben Crump and Natalie Jackson, said in a statement. “The ride’s manufacturers neglected their duty to protect passengers, and (Thursday’s) outcome ensures they face the consequences.”
Dodd and Sampson sued the park in 2022 and the manufacturer of the ride, blaming both for the death.
Dodd and Sampson named the park and the businesses behind the Free Fall ride, including owner and operator Extreme Amusement Rides and manufacturer Funtime Handels, an Austrian company, as defendants in the lawsuit.
A report from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) says that Tyre appeared to have slipped from his seat as the ride descended, although the harness attached to the seat was still in place. The report determined that a harness sensor in Tyre’s seat was “manually loosened, adjusted, and tightened to allow a restraint opening of near 7 inches.”
According to the report, the average seat opening for the ride was 3.33 inches.
“The cause of the subject accident was that Tyre Sampson was not properly secured in the seat primarily due to mis-adjustment of the harness proximity sensor,” the report concluded. “The mis-adjustment of the sensor allowed both safety lights to illuminate, improperly satisfying the ride’s electronic safety mechanisms and allowing the ride to commence even though the ride was unsafe.”
“We are deeply troubled that the preliminary findings of the State’s investigation, released today, indicate a sensor on the Orlando FreeFall attraction, which is owned and operated by the SlingShot Group, had been mis-adjusted after the sensor was originally secured in place,” Icon Park said in a statement following the release of the FDCAS report. “Icon Park is committed to providing a safe, fun experience for families. We will continue to support the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services with their ongoing investigation.”
Dodd and Sampson’s complaint says the ride did not warn riders about height and weight restrictions.
“Tyre stood at approximately 6’2 and weighed approximately 380 pounds,” the complaint says. “No weight or height restrictions were posted at the ticket counter and no Icon or Slingshot Defendant employees, agents, apparent agents, servants, or contractors advised Tyre about any weight or height restrictions.”
The complaint lists more than 50 ways it alleges Icon Park was negligent, including failing to train its employees to operate the ride safely. The park also failed to take reasonable steps to ensure riders were secure in their seats, didn’t warn potential riders about height and weight restrictions, and didn’t fire rider operators who didn’t follow procedures for keeping riders safe.
As to the Austrian company that made the ride, the complaint says that a “reasonable manufacturer, constructor, distributor, designer, and supplier” would have provided more visible warnings as to height and weight restrictions, installed a secondary safety system other than the harnesses, made sure the ride wouldn’t operate if all the riders weren’t properly secured, and added other measures including a monitoring system and a mechanism to stop the ride if a rider wasn’t secure.
“The Free Fall ride was dangerous to an extreme beyond that which would be contemplated by the ordinary user with the ordinary knowledge common to the community as to the Free Fall’s characteristics,” the complaint said.
Tyre, an honor roll student and football player, lived with his mother in Missouri. He had gone to Florida for spring break with a friend’s family, Dodd said on a GoFundMe page. He had just left for the trip the day before he died.
“Despite his prowess on the football field, he was known as a kind-hearted person who cared about others,” the complaint says. “Tyre had a long and prosperous life in front of him that was cut short by this tragic event.”
Dodd and Sampson sought damages under the state’s wrongful death statute, including loss of Tyre’s earnings, medical care and funeral costs, and mental pain and suffering.
