ORLANDO, Flo. (Washington Insider Magazine) – The Florida amusement park ride in which a teen died last month is now closed due to an “immediate serious danger to public health,” according to state officials.
The state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issued a directive closing the Free Fall ride on Mar 25, a day after the tragedy at ICON Park in Orlando, which was made public on Monday.
Tyre Sampson, a 14-year-old Missouri kid, slipped out of his seat and died in front of horrified witnesses as the drop tower-style rollercoaster crashed.
The Free Fall is deemed an imminent danger to public health, welfare, and safety according to the order shutting the attraction, and may not be operational to patrons until it passes a further assessment by or even under the supervision of the Department.
The order was sent to Orlando Eagle Drop Slingshot LLC, the Free Fall’s owner.
Immediately after the deadly accident, the company’s second ICON Park attraction was also shut down. The Free Fall’s approximately 400-foot drop was described as the world’s highest when it first launched.
Tyre, who was over 612 feet tall, was allegedly not properly fastened into the ride, with a safety belt resting high above those of the other passengers, according to video and photos released online.
Tyre was on spring break alongside his football team in Florida. His uncle Carl Sampson described him as a straight-A kid who “had a bright future ahead of him” and had never been in trouble.
One of the Sampson family’s attorneys, Michael Haggard, told NBC station WESH in Orlando that he is concerned about the apparent lack of a legally mandated disclosure of the ride’s maximum rider weight.
Tyre was said to weigh roughly 300 pounds. The maximum rider weight is about 285 pounds.
According to WESH, there is no maximum rider weight limitation on Free Fall’s placards, merely a maximum height.
Tyre’s family regards his death as “preventable,” according to lawyer Benjamin Crump, who examined the ride Monday.
Florida officials acknowledged Friday that there is no direct state or federal regulation of what thrill-ride makers put in their instruction manuals prescribing safety precautions, as focus shifts to the safety system used to hold riders harnessed into the Free Fall.
