Disney Loses Florida Dems' Fundraiser Over 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Controversyĭeadly incidents at amusement parks are rare, but they do happen.ĭetails about the safety of rides aren't publicly available, but the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) reassured the public in 2018 that the odds of being seriously injured on a fixed-site ride at an amusement park in the U.S.Seven Children Overdose After Taking Sleeping Pills, Police Say.'Group Jump' From a 7th-Floor Balcony Kills 4, Seriously Injures 1.The Orlando ICON Park didn't immediately reply to a request for comment by Newsweek. 'Our hearts go out to the family of this young man,' Stein told Channel9 reporters. John Stein, a spokesperson for the Free Fall ride, told Channel9 that the Free Fall ride will be closed indefinitely. The company has operated rides in Florida - including Orlando, Kissimmee, Daytona Beach and Panama City Beach - since 2000. Orlando Free Fall, inaugurated at the same time as another record-breaking attraction, the Orlando Slingshot, is owned and operated by the Slingshot Group of Companies. It isn't yet known how many people were on the ride on Thursday when the boy fell, or how the events unfolded. The ride brakes about 45 feet above the ground.Ī post shared by Orlando Drop Tower press release from 2021 from the Orlando ICON Park said the drop tower boasts 'one of the fastest, smoothest ride systems to date' and 'promises to bring high-speed exhilaration that is truly the 'top' of the line.'įree Fall can accommodate 30 riders at full capacity. Riders board a vehicle that brings them to the top of the tower, tilts 30 degrees to face the ground briefly and then drops down, reaching a speed of over 75 mph. The ICON Park's Free Fall ride, described by the park as a world-record setting attraction, opened in late December 2021 and claims to be the world's tallest freestanding drop tower. It has opened an investigation into the death. The boy, who hasn't yet been identified, was brought to a hospital, but died of his injuries, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said. Officials found that a 14-year-old had fallen from the Free Fall ride, a 430-feet drop tower, according to a report by FOX35, which cited several witnesses. Police, firefighters and paramedics rushed to the popular tourist attraction after receiving a 911 call reporting an incident at the site on Thursday night. Theme parks, their parent companies, and regulatory agencies must do better to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening to any other family,” the lawyers added.A teenager died in Florida after falling from the drop tower attraction at Orlando's ICON Park, according to officials with the Orange County Sheriff's Office. “The Orlando FreeFall ride never should have been permitted to operate under those faulty conditions. “While this announcement is long overdue, the news today is a relief to Tyre Sampson’s grieving father, who has been advocating for this since the day Tyre fell to his death,” Ben Crump and Bob Hilliard, attorneys representing Yarnell, added, CNN reports. “It’s a little piece of justice for my son.

I am having a happy cry right now,” the bereaved father told CNN. Tyre’s father, Yarnell Sampson, also acknowledged the decision. As the landlord, ICON Park welcomes and appreciates Orlando Slingshot’s decision to take down the ride,” a spokesperson for the park noted in the same statement. “Tyre’s death is a tragedy that we will never forget. ICON Park, the “landlord” that housed the attraction, stands behind this decision. “In addition, Orlando Slingshot will honor Tyre and his legacy in the classroom and on the football field by creating a scholarship in his name,” he continued, though the specific details surrounding this scholarship are currently unclear. Tyre Sampson died in March after plunging to his death while riding the Orlando FreeFall, which has been closed ever since.

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