Calls made to 911 have been released as part of an investigation into the death of Tyre Sampson, the Missouri teenager who was killed while riding Orlando’s Free Fall ride.
The calls, which were released on Tuesday as part of an Orange County Sheriff’s Office incident report, appeared to reveal chaos and concern among those on the ground at Orlando’s ICON Park shortly after the 14-year-old fell on 24 March.
As CBS Miami reported on Wednesday, callers were asked if Sampson was breathing and if he could be turned on his back for life-saving CPR to be performed, despite weighing more than 300lbs.
The incident report said Sampson was not touched, however, until sheriff’s deputies arrived, and that he was breathing but appeared unresponsive to those on the ground at ICON Park. He was later pronounced dead.
The sheriff’s office report, which also detailed how the Free Fall ride travelled at speeds of 75mph, said one caller told 911 operators: “when they [the ride] got closer to the bottom, when it hit the brake, the guy fell right out of the seat”.
In another call, obtained by ClickOrlando, a 911 operator was told how Sampson was not breathing and that “he’s dead, he’s dead, he’s gone”, and asked: “Tell me exactly why you think he’s, he’s completely gone”.
“He’s face down, there’s blood everywhere. He’s not breathing. I’ve checked his pulse, there’s no pulse,” the caller, one of at least four seperate calls to 911 that day, responded.
Sampson, who was more than six feet tall and weighed 380 lbs (172kg), fell from the attraction at Orlando’s ICON Park after he slipped out of his seat on the drop tower ride, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty, according to a report last month.
That report, which was carried out by the Florida Department of Agriculture, said sensors on the ride were manually overridden to allow the teenager to fit into his seat – which another passenger believed to be several inches wider than their own. “Other contributing factors” were also mentioned in the report.
“The Sheriff’s Investigation simply confirms how tragic this accident was that took Tyre’s life,” Michael Haggard, an attorney for Sampson’s mother, Nekia Dodd, told CBS Miami on Tuesday.
Sampson’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit last month against the Orlando Slingshot, the ride’s owners, and ICON Park, the operators, for negligence in the death of their son.
Both Orlando Slingshot and ICON Park have so far cooperated with the investigation into Sampson’s death, with the park saying it was “deeply troubled” by the findings from the Florida Department of Agriculture report.
Orlando Slingshot meanwhile aid in an earlier statement to NBC 5: “Orlando Slingshot continues to fully cooperate with the state during its investigation, and we will continue to do so until it has officially concluded”.
“We reiterate that all protocols, procedures and safety measures provided by the manufacturer of the ride were followed.”
The Independent has approached ICON Park for further comment.
