Policeidentified the young man as Tyre Sampson ofMissouri, who was visiting central Florida with a friend's family. A video from the incident appears to show passengers on the ride discussing issues with a seat restraint Thursday night. The next semi-annual inspection for the ride wasn't due for several more months. On Sunday, Dollywood amusement park in Tennessee said it had temporarily closed a ride developed by the same maker of the free-fall ride in Orlando. The Orange County Sheriffs Department said Tyre Sampson was visiting central Florida with another family. It is considered the worlds tallest freestanding drop tower, according to theparks website. New York City lifts vaccine mandate for Jennifer Smith, Chief Reporter For Dailymail.Com, Father of teen who fell from ride wants answers: 'This should never happen', Chilling 911 calls reveal moments after Tyre Sampson fell to death as caller says 'ICON Park staff didn't secure belt', Do not sell or share my personal information. Sampsons death was ruled an accident by the medical examiner.He suffered extensive injuries, including a fractured jaw, a broken arm, a broken leg and fractures of a number of ribs. They [ICON park staff] didn't secure the seatbelt on him," the caller claims. "TELL MY GRAND SON LIL LONNIE WE MISS YALL DOWN HERE MY HEART IS TRULY BROKEN RIP Tyre Sampson YOU ARE LOVED BY MANY AND PLEASE PRAY FOR HES MOM AND ENTIRE FAMILY GONE TO SOON. The autopsy of Tyre Sampson, the teen who died after he fell from an ICON Park ride, reportedly had a number of extensive injuries and died from blunt forced trauma. IE 11 is not supported. Were going to try to do CPR on him, the dispatcher said. The grieving father said that Tyre began to panic and shared a chilling premonition with his two best friends, seated next to him on the ride. According to the ride's manual, the maximum passenger weight for the Orlando FreeFall, the tower ride that ultimately claimed Sampson's life, is about 286 pounds. We will see moving forward what that results in.'. ', The ride is pictured on Friday, the day after the accident, The6-foot-5, 340-pound teenager was on a trip with his football program, and was sitting next two two of his best friends when he plunged to his death, his father said. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. In a press conference on Friday, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said preliminary information suggests the incident appeared to be an accident. An attorney for Orlando Slingshot released a statement Tuesday calling his death a tragic accident.. The caller goes on to explain how Tyre was on board the new Orlando Free-Fall ride moments before his tragic death. 'Bam, went straight through his chair and dropped,' the man said on the 911 call. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, teen who died after plunging from an Orlando amusement park ride. HERE ARE THE KEY FINDINGS. WHEN IT DESCENDED, TYRE FELL FROM HIS SEAT. JIM: WESH 2 INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER GREG FOX IS HERE WITH US. I seen him hit the ground. NOTE: GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner. WESH 2 Investigates: Teen's ICON Park death spurs call for ride safety changesOn April 18, an investigative report completed by a private engineering firm hired by the state indicated Sampson slipped through a seven-inch gap between the seat and safety harness. He's gone. Stine said there had been no issues reported previously with the Free Fall ride, which opened last December. Someone said he was breathing, but we don't know. Tyre was part of a group called the St. Louis Bad Boyz football club who were in Orlando for a weeklong training camp, the Post-Dispatch reported. He has been a regular contributor for TODAY.com since 2011, producing news stories and features across the trending, pop culture, sports, parents, pets, health, style, food and TMRW verticals. ", 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Tyre Sampson, 14, died from falling from a ride, Yarnell Sampson said his son knew his seat belt was not buckled right, Tyre fell from the world's tallest free fall ride, Footage appears to show Tyre's harness was buckled incorrectly, While, others asked about seatbelts as they strapped themselves in, Tyre Sampson, 14, knew something was wrong with his harness and was freaking out before Icon theme park fall, dad says, As the clocks go forward this weekend - 5 tips to get the kids off to sleep, Inside the Heavens Gate cult who believed they were graduating from Earth before mass suicide 25 years ago, Mystery as box of human bones found in garage as resident heard 'juvenile voices' before discovery, Rosemont Mall shooting news 'One dead and two hurt' as shoppers run for cover and police hunt suspect in Illinois, Inside Wendi Mae Davidson's chilling first interview from prison after stabbing husband 41 times and hiding body in pond, My ex-wife was shot dead at our son's grave our family will never be the same, Trans porn star Angelina Please's family fear she was robbed after shock death as safe SMASHED open and 'money stolen', failed to properly secure the teenager's seatbelt. I don't know from where he fell. One woman was worried about the fact there was nothing more to keep them in the seats as the ride descended and asked if there was a seatbelt to clip them in. A harrow 911 call revealed that 14-year-old Tyre Sampson's harness wasn't secured, causing him to fall to his death on Thursday. When it descended, Sampson fell from his seat and died. The autopsy also documented Sampsons weight at 383 pounds well over the rides weight limit of 287 pounds. Tyre Sampson, who weighed just over 300 pounds, was about 14 pounds over the ride's recommended limit. An investigation by the state revealed that the seat Tyre Sampson fell to his death from on an amusement park ride was locked at the time of the fall. According to an accident report, as the Orlando FreeFall came down the tower, the magnets engaged and Sampson came out of his seat. Missouri teen Tyre Sampson was visiting ICON . I don't know from where he fell.'. He had no way of knowing," said Bob Hilliard, a Texas attorney who represents Tyre's mother, Nekia Dodd, in an interview Saturday. A man who witnessed what happened told a 911 dispatcher that Sampson seemed to slip out of his seat when the ride braked as it approached the bottom. 'We are absolutely saddened and devastated by what happened, and our hearts go out this young man's family,' John Stine, sales director with the Slingshot Group which owns the ride, told The Associated Press on Friday morning. "He's not breathing. They [ICON park staff] didn't secure the seatbelt on him," the caller claims. The field investigation confirmed the ride operator made manual adjustments to the riding harness that resulted in it being unsafe.WESH 2 EXCLUSIVE: Man who filmed teens deadly fall from FreeFall describes horrific ICON Park accidentThe Sampson family filed a wrongful death lawsuit on April 25. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Both individuals were able to slip through the restraint opening without any assistance. "We hope the subsequent findings will be able to inform us all as to how this tragedy occurred and will precipitate any changes necessary to better protect patrons of amusement rides in Florida," FDACS Commissioner Nikki Fried said in a statement. As the ride lifted, a worker said, "Check your seatbelt on the left side seatbelt ", The well-known civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is working with Hilliard and represents Tyre's father, Yarnell Sampson, said the family is "shocked and heartbroken at the loss of their son.". Our investigation is still open.". The 911 dispatcher asks the man whether he has access to a defibrillator, but the man said none were available. 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The group had chaperones and, by all accounts, were doing what millions do every year during spring break in Orlando: enjoying the theme parks and rides. Highland Grove Landscaping & Farm is here for landscaping services, Check Out These Homes For Sale In Orlando, New Dogs, Cats, Pets Up For Adoption At Orlando Area Shelters. He was like 'this thing is moving,' you know what I'm saying. Park employees say they initially thought his body was a piece of the ride that had broken off until they saw the boy lying on the ground. He's dead. "The ride was going, and during the middle of the ride, the guy just came off," the caller says. Hes hard to lift, the man replied. As a coach you hate that phone call I received last night. 'They didn't secure the seatbelt on him,' an unidentified woman caller told a 911 operator. Tyre's father, Yarnell, said that his son was 6-foot-5 and 340 pounds, and was told by other rides in the park that he was too large to ride safely, but that the Free Fall ride operators waved him aboard. Gina Vivinetto is a writer for TODAY.com. Woman: We don't know, he's face down, he has blood on his feet, but we don't know. I've checked his pulse, there's no pulse.". The Orange County Sheriffs Office declined to offer any new information Saturday, and said the ride was now being investigated by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. As the ride plummets to the ground, a rider can be seen falling from his seat. LOUIS Tyre Sampson's parents called for justice on Tuesday in their first public appearances since the 14-year-old fell to his death from an Orlando thrill ride in March. Tyre Sampson was just 14 years old, and had been visiting ICON Park with his family when the fatal incident occurred. Check that they fit within the contours of the seat and the bracket fits properly. A similar drop tower ride at Tennessee's Dollywood, made by the same manufacturer, has been shut down. He suffered extensive injuries, including a fractured jaw, a broken arm, a broken leg and fractures of a number of ribs. This case stems from the design of this ride in Austria to this fateful night when it was operated with Tyre on it. The attorney said the family plans on filing a lawsuit in coming weeks. "It does appear to be just a tragic situation. The autopsy . Shes again in shock. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. 'At first we thought it was a piece of the ride or whatever until we got a little closer and it was a person laying on the ground. 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