Parents of teen killed in fall from Orlando drop tower ride awarded $310 million in civil case
By Allen Cone
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ORLANDO (WFOR) — The Missouri family of a 14-year-old boy who fell to his death from the 430-foot tall Orlando FreeFall ride in March 2022 will receive $310 million by the attraction’s manufacturer, according to a jury in the civil case.
Funtime Handels and Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, the attraction’s builder, is based in Austria. The family of Tyre Sampson will have to seek an order from an Austrian court to collect the damages, the Associated Press reported.
Nekia Dodd and Yarnell Sampson sued both the ride’s operators and its manufacturers.
In April 2022, they filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging the ride’s operators should have known that riders could be “subject to unreasonably dangerous and foreseeable risks, and that serious injury and death of the occupants in the ride could result.”
They reached an earlier settlement with ICON Park and the company that operated the ride.
The 20-acre shopping center, located near the Orlando theme parks, includes more than 50 shops, restaurants and attractions.
The boy’s mother and father each will receive $155 million from the ride manufacturer.
“I don’t wish this on any parent, to lose a child is the worst, worst thing that could happen to any parent in the world,” Nekia Dodd said, according to CBS affiliate WKMG. “I have a child I can’t physically touch. I can’t hug him. I can’t kiss him. Everything is a memory.
The ride was torn down one year after the accident.
During a news conference about the ride’s demolishment, she said: “I hate I have to come down under these circumstances. It’s a bittersweet moment, you know. The ride’s coming down and I’m thankful for that, but my son’s not coming back.”
On March 24, 2022, 14-year-old Sampson was riding what was once known as the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower when he fell as the thrill ride was plummeting down. The ride took 30 riders into the air over 400 feet before dropping at 70 mph.
The father of a friend who witnessed the accident told deputies that the teen appeared to fall out of his seat when plunging passengers on the FreeFall ride passed a yellow reflective tape halfway down the tower. When the teen hit the ground, he appeared to be breathing but was unresponsive, Leon Howard told deputies.
Sampson had traveled from the St. Louis area to Orlando during spring break with his friend’s family for a vacation.
Sampson was 6-foot-2 and weighed around 380 pounds at the time of his death, but the ride had a 287-pound rider limit, according to its safety manual.
He was turned away from riding the SlingShot because he was too big, according to Shay Johnson, who dropped him off at the park.
A jury determined how much money should be given to the family. The teen’s mother, father and older brother testified about the emotional and physical toll the death has taken on them.
“They robbed me, they robbed him, they robbed us,” Dodd said on the stand. “I’m now left with memories. Like what would he be doing now? That’s unfair. That’s unfair. That’s unfair. Especially with the kind of kid he was, that’s unfair.”
“I lost my hair. I lost my teeth. I lost 30 pounds of weight,” Tyre Sampson’s father Yarnell Sampson said. “This was the only break he didn’t spend with me … I wish he did spend spring break with me because he’d still be alive, but he was a kid. He wanted to have fun.”
Yarnell Sampson earlier discussed the lawsuit.
Attorney Kimberly Wald told the jury: “They built the highest tower, the most dangerous tower, they didn’t install a $10 seat belt.”
Funtime Handels representatives were not in the courtroom.
Attorney Ben Crump released a statement regarding the outcome of the trial:
“This verdict is a step forward in holding corporations accountable for the safety of their products. 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 ride’s manufacturers neglected their duty to protect passengers, and today’s outcome ensures they face the consequences of those decisions.
“We hope this case serves as a wake-up call for the entire industry to implement stricter safety measures and oversight to prevent such tragedies from happening again. Tyre’s legacy will be a safer future for riders everywhere.
An independent forensic engineering firm hired found the operator manually adjusted the sensors in the seat he was in, which made the ride unsafe.
The ride itself did not have an electrical or mechanical failure, but a manual adjustment in the seat he was riding in allowed the ride to operate even when it was unsafe.
In May 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Tyre Sampson Act into law, which requires a seat belt and harness for any ride that goes over 100 feet and for all rides to be regularly commissioned, certified and tested by a separate regulatory agency.
Also, amusement ride operators would have a certain timeframe to report if there was an accident and the state could decide to impound it if necessary.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services can also conduct unannounced inspections for specific purposes.
ICON Park supported the safety legislation.
“We agree with the goal to ensure extra diligence and oversight with mid- to small-attraction operators for ride training, testing and process documentation, which we also focus on in our own rigorous ride safety protocols,” the ICON Park spokesperson said. “While the FreeFall ride is not owned and was not controlled or operated by ICON Park, because it is a tenant on the property, we agree with the owner’s decision to dismantle the ride and our hearts are with the family as they witness this important milestone.”
In 2020, a 21-year-old worker fell to his death at the same theme park while conducting a daily safety check on a different ride.
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