A 14-year-old boy reportedly fell to his death from a theme park ride. The boy fell down almost 435ft down due to not being buckled up properly. The deceased boy has been identified as Tyre Sampson and the incident was reported from Orlando’s ICON theme park in Florida.
The teen was a resident of Missouri who was out on a vacation with the family of one of his friends. After the horrifying incident, the Orange County Sheriff John Mina was quoted in a Daily Mail report saying, “It appears to be just a terrible tragedy. We will see moving forward what that results in”.
It should be noted that pictures of the boy taken just before he took the thrill ride showed him not being harnessed and properly buckled. What makes the incident hair-raising is that before the ride started, the operator told the group of teen-riders that “there ain’t no seatbelts” to hold them and that the ride only carries pull-down harnesses.
The Facts of the Matter
In a tragic mishap reported from Orlando, a 14-year-old boy fell from a theme park ride earlier on Thursday. The boy was identified as Tyre Sampson, a Missouri based teen who was out on a vacation with his friend’s family. The boy reportedly fell from the seat of the theme ride called Orlando Free Fall.
According to reports the boy reportedly fell from a height of 435ft when the free fall ride dropped at the speed of 75mph (120 kmph). The boy’s tragic demise was witnessed by his friend’s family who stood helplessly on the side as the boy plummeted to his death.
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How 14-Year-Old Met his Tragic Death
Tyre died after slipping out of his seat on the Orlando Free Fall ride at the ICON park at around 11pm. He was on vacation with his friend’s family who watched helplessly as he plummeted to the ground while the ride dropped at 75mph. He was named by police at a press conference on Friday.
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Ride Had No Seatbelts, Only a Plastic Harness
According to reports, the deceased boy and the group taking the ride were told that there were no seatbelts on the ride. However, there was a plastic pull-down harness that were supposed to buckle the riders up in the place to avoid a mishap. Further, before taking the ride, a woman asked the ride operator how there was nothing to hold her in the seat. However, the ride operator casually told her – “There ain’t no seatbelts”.
Reportedly, the terrified park attendants initially thought the deceased boy’s body was actually a ride piece that broke off. It was only after the boy’s unresponsive body was found that they ascertained the true tragedy.
Deceased Boy’s Family Issues Condolence Message
After the tragic mishap, the deceased boy’s family issued a condolence message on social media where they called him a ‘gentle giant’. “Tyre was a respectful gentle giant. You will be truly missed son,’ she said”, her step-mother was quoted saying.
According to the ICON Park website, the joyride is the world’s tallest free-falling drop ride. The theme park also houses the famous Orlando Slingshot, the tallest slingshot ride found across the world.
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Similar Incident Happened in 2021
It should be noted that a similar incident transpired earlier last year when a 47-year-old woman, identified as Dawn Jankovic was discovered unresponsive near her son in another theme ride in Indiana. After the woman underwent autopsy, it was revealed that the woman died due to a combination of internal bleeding, artery tear, and the sheer force of rollercoaster.
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