14-Year-Old Boy Dies After Falling from Amusement Park Ride in Florida

A 14-year-old boy from Missouri has died after he fell from an amusement park ride in Florida on Thursday night.

Per a statement from the Orange County Sheriff's Office, authorities arrived at the Orlando Free Fall attraction at ICON Park at 11:12 p.m. in response to a 911 call.

"Witnesses on scene reported that someone had fallen from the ride," police said.

Officials say the teenager — identified by Orange County Sheriff John W. Mina as Tyre Sampson — was transported to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children where he succumbed to his injuries.

"It appears to be a terrible tragedy," the sheriff said. "Our prayers and thoughts are with the family. We can't imagine what they're going through."

Mina added that based on interviews with employees and witnesses, as well as circulating videos of the incident, there has been no indication that anything was wrong prior to Sampson’s death.

As reported by Yahoo, the sheriff's office will determine conclusively if Sampson's death was an accident. Additionally, Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will oversee if the ride's safety was compromised.

Yahoo adds that the victim was from Missouri.

As of this writing, the investigation is still in its early stages and no charges have been filed.

Per Today, a video taken by a parkgoer appears to show passengers having a discussion about seatbelts with staff before the ride begins. As the ride starts to make its ascent, a passenger can be seen falling from the ride.

"Are you sure you checked him?" one crew member can be heard asking afterwards in the clip, to which others appear to say that they had.

According to a press release, the Orlando FreeFall ride — described by the park as the "world's tallest free-standing drop tower” — can carry 30 riders at a time.

The Associated Press reports that per John Stine — a spokesperson for The SlingShot Group, which owns and operates the ride — the Orlando Free Fall will be closed indefinitely.

"We operate the ride with all the safety precautions in mind. Everything is in place. And this is why we're doing this investigation," Stine told the news agency.

Stine also alleged to Spectrum News 13 that the victim was secured in the ride’s seat.

“That’s what we know at this time. So again, we operate the ride with all the safety precautions in mind and everything is in place and this is why we’re doing an investigation,” Stine told the outlet.

As reported by The Orlando Sentinel, in 2020, an employee at ICON park reportedly died on a different ride while conducting a safety check.

Our condolences go out to Tyre’s family and loved ones for their loss.

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