The parents of a 14-year-old boy who fell 430 feet (131 meters) from the tower of a free-fall attraction and died in Florida’s tourist district sued his owner, manufacturer and operator Monday, saying they were negligent and did not They provided a sure attraction.
Tire Sampson’s parents said in the lawsuit filed in state court in Orlando that the defendants failed to warn their 6-foot-2, 380-pound son regarding the risks of someone in his family size jumped into the game and they didn’t provide him with a proper restraint system.
While most free fall attractions are required to have a shoulder harness and seat belt, the Orlando Free Fall only had a shoulder harness. Adding seat belts to the 30-seat attraction would have cost $660, according to the lawsuit.
When the accident happened last month, Sampson was on spring break from the St. Louis area.
“The defendants in the Tire case exhibited negligence in multiple ways,” said attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents the Sampson family. “From the manufacturers of the ride and seats and installer, to the owners and operators, the defendants had ample opportunity to add protections, such as seat belts, that would have prevented Tyre’s death.”
A spokesman for the attraction’s owner, Orlando Slingshot, and the manager, ICON Park, have not immediately commented on the lawsuit.
Last week, a preliminary report from outside engineers hired by the Florida Department of Agriculture indicated that sensors on the ride had been manually adjusted to double the size of the harness opening on two seats, so Sampson was not restrained. properly before slipping, falling and dying.
The Orlando Free Fall attraction, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty, did not experience any electrical or mechanical failures, the report notes.
The report indicates that there were several other “possible contributions” to the accident and adds that a complete review of the attraction’s design and operations will be necessary.
