Boy, 14, dies after falling from Florida theme park ride
25 March 2022, 17:04
The Free Fall ride and an adjacent ride, the Sling Shot, have been closed indefinitely after the incident.
A 14-year-old boy has fallen to his death from a ride at an amusement park in Orlando, Florida.
Sheriff’s officials and emergency crews responded to a call late on Thursday at Icon Park, which is located in the city’s tourist district along International Drive.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina identified the teenager as Tyree Samson, who was visiting central Florida from Missouri with a friend’s family.
Detectives investigating the death will look into whether it was intentional or accidental, the sheriff said.
“It appears to be just a terrible tragedy,” Mr Mina said. “We will see moving forward what that results in.”
Tyree fell from the Orlando Free Fall ride, which opened late last year, and died later in hospital.
A video aired by NBC’s Today show on Friday morning appears to show passengers on the ride discussing issues with a seat restraint on Thursday night. The ride then began its trek up the tower before someone is seen falling from the ride.
“We are absolutely saddened and devastated by what happened, and our hearts go out to this young man’s family,” John Stine, sales director with the Slingshot Group which owns the ride, told the Associated Press on Friday morning.
The Free Fall ride and an adjacent ride, the Sling Shot, have been closed indefinitely, Mr Stine said. His company operates the two rides at Icon Park.
“We are cooperating with all other investigations at this time to get to the bottom of what happened,” he said.
He added that there had been no issues reported previously with the Free Fall ride.
The ride, which rises to 430ft, is billed as the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower, according to the park’s website.
It holds 30 passengers as it rises in the air, rotates around the tower and then tilts to face the ground before free falling at more than 75mph, the website said.
