ORLANDO, Fla. — An engineering firm hired by the state found that the operator of the Orlando Free Fall drop tower manually changed sensors on specific seats on the ride, “resulting in it being unsafe,” Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said Monday in Orlando.
The report, written by Quest Engineering & Failure Analysis, determined that the changes allowed harnesses on certain seats to open to “almost double” the normal range, Fried said. Tyre Sampson, a 14-year-old who died on the attraction at ICON Park last month, reportedly weighed around 340 pounds.
“These misadjustments allowed the safety lights to illuminate and properly satisfy the ride’s electronic safety mechanisms that allowed the ride to operate, even though Mr. Sampson was not properly secured in the seat,” Fried said.
The state released the report into the accident Monday afternoon, shortly before Fried held a brief news conference. Fried did not take questions from reporters.
She did not mention whether the ride operator could potentially face criminal charges in the case but said the agency was looking at “potential penalties.”
The investigation into the accident led by Fried’s agency, which includes consumer services, has finished its “initial phase” but is still ongoing.
While announcing the report’s release, Fried said it names “many other potential contributing factors” in the accident. Tyre’s family was notified of the report Monday morning, Fried said. The drop tower will remain closed indefinitely, she added.
On April 1, Fried said the state hired Quest Engineering to assist in the investigation because it could provide details the state’s engineers could not, including the ride’s mechanisms and calibrations.
The Orlando Sentinel is reaching out to representatives of the SlingShot Group, the ride’s operator, for comment.
Appearing alongside state Rep. Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, on Monday, Fried reiterated that the department would look into making changes to its rules and Florida’s ride regulation laws once the accident investigation concludes.
Thompson restated her commitment to writing the “Tyre Sampson Bill,” which she said will include stricter rules for ride modifications, training and safety signage.
“What I want to do is to strengthen the requirement that if there is any adjustment (to a ride), that would trigger another inspection,” she said. " ... This is not a one-time kind of situation, and these adjustments were made that led to the unfortunate incident and the death of Tyre Sampson.”
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