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The manufacturers of the now demolished Orlando FreeFall have been ordered to pay a US$310m settlement following the 2022 death of fourteen-year-old Tyre Sampson
Amy Martin | Planet Attractions | 10 Dec 2024
Orlando FreeFall has since been removed from Icon Park
The parents of a boy who died after falling from Icon Park’s Orlando FreeFall, have been awarded US$310m (€294.5m, £243m) following a detailed investigation into the accident.
Fourteen-year-old Tyre Sampson died in March 2022, with an inquiry revealing that the ride’s operators manually adjusted the seat sensors, rendering it unsafe for use.
Although the ride was in full working condition, the manual seat adjustment bypassed safety protocols, allowing visitors to board the ride despite their seats having an inadequate restraint system. Tyre Sampson also surpassed the ride’s weight limit – an issue the sensor would have typically flagged.
The OrlandoFreeFall ride was a 430ft (131m) tall drop tower ride, making it one of the world’s tallest freestanding tower rides, travelling up 75mph (120kmph) during its freefall descent.
In May 2023, Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, signed the Tyre Sampson Act, a provision that calls for all rides exceeding 100ft (30.5m) in height to be equipped with seatbelts and harnesses.
Additionally, The Florida Department of Agriculture and and Consumer Services has been granted the power to make unannounced inspections to monitor safety compliances and address risks proactively. In the event that an issue is found, ride operators have a limited time frame to resolve it, otherwise they risk the ride being impounded.
The US$310m settlement shall be paid by the ride’s manufacturer - Funtime Handels and Gerstlauer. However, the family will need to seek enforcement of the judgement through an Austrian court. Icon Park has already reached a separate settlement with their family for their portion of the case.
The incident involving Sampson was not the first fatality at the attraction on Orlando’s International Drive. In 2020, a 21-year-old worker fell to his death whilst conducting a routine safety test on the Starflyer ride.
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