A teenager football player who fell to his death from a 430-ft Florida amusement park ride exceeded its weight limit by almost 100 pounds, an autopsy revealed.
Tyre Sampson, 14, was killed when he came out of his seat halfway down the Free Fall ride in Orlando, Florida, in March.
A report by the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that the teenager died from blunt force trauma and that his death was an accident.
The autopsy showed that Tyre, who was on vacation in Florida from St Louis, weighed 383 pounds when he died. The maximum weight for a rider on Free Fall is 287 pounds.
An initial report by a forensic engineering firm hired by the Florida Department of Agriculture stated that sensors on the ride had been manually adjusted to double the size of the opening for restraints on two seats.
The report concluded that the result was that the teenager was not properly secured while on the ride at ICON Park.
The youngster’s parents have sued the owner of the ride, the manufacturer and the landlord, alleging negligence and a failure to provide a safe ride.
The lawsuit claims that the defendants failed to warn the victim of the risks of someone his size going on the ride, and that they did not provide an adequate restraint system.
The ride has been closed since the accident and will remain so indefinitely.
A lawyer for its operator, Orlando Slingshot, called Tyre’s death “a tragic accident” in a statement.
“We continue to communicate and cooperate with representatives of Tyre’s family, as well as the Department of Agriculture. We are devoted to working with our lawmakers in making lasting safety changes in the amusement park industry,” said attorney Trevor Arnold.
