A teenager who was visiting Central Florida with a friend’s family was the victim who died last night following falling from a free fall attraction in a tourist area of Orlando, Orange County authorities reported.
Sheriff John Mina said the 14-year-old was Tyre Sampsonof Missouri, who fell this Thursday from the “Orlando Free Fall” around 11:10 pm and was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital, where he died.
Mina expressed her condolences to Sampson’s relatives. She explained that the victim’s family was contacted by members of her team to help them through this difficult ordeal.
Orlando Free Fall to close while investigated
The police indicated that according to their preliminary investigation the deadly event appears to be an accident. However, inquiries are still open to determine how it happened and the security measures at the attraction.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings expressed condolences to the Sampson family and stated that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services along with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office will investigate the circumstances in this case to prevent something like this from happening. happen once more.
For its part, the “Orlando Free Fall” will remain closed while the relevant investigations are carried out.
What an Icon Park visitor says
One of the representatives of the company The SlingShot Group that manages this attraction and others in Icon Park shared his deepest condolences to the victim’s family and stated that they will be contributing to the authorities to clarify this deadly accident.
Earlier, a visitor to Icon Park told Noticias Univision Orlando that minutes before the tragedy he saw some seats in the “Orlando Free Fall” attraction that were not operational and were covered with black plastic bags.
A viral video shows the young man falling from the Orlando Free Fall
The tragic moment was captured in a recording that has gone viral on social networks, where the safety of the attraction is also questioned.
Video allegedly recorded by an acquaintance of someone riding the same ride as the victim shows Orlando Free Fall passengers climbing the 430-foot-tall tower and descending, the young man later identified as Tire Sampson falling from one of the chairs.
The shocking moment leaves the passengers who were close to the victim in shock, while those on the other side cannot instantly realize the terrible situation.
People on board the attraction ask to be lowered, while staff members approach the young man lying on the ground.
In the video, a worker can also be seen arguing with two of the employees in charge of the attraction if they checked that the seats were secured.
They reply that they did check and that the light was on. It is not known what it means that any light is on.
