By Orlando Sentinel (TNS) writer Cristbal Reyes
ORLANDO, FL. A jury in Orange County ruled Thursday night that the maker of the rollercoaster in Orlando that killed a 14-year-old boy in 2022 ought to reimburse his parents $310 million.
Tyre Sampson’s March 2022 fall from the Orlando FreeFall, which he was permitted to board despite exceeding its weight constraints, has a remarkably high price tag due to the speedy trial and verdict jury selection process that only started Thursday morning. Tyre’s parents, Yarnell Sampson and Nekia Dodd, filed the complaint.
According to court documents, Funtime, the German company Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, and the Austrian producer of FreeFalls were mentioned in the complaint. They were in charge of creating and examining the ride’s seats and harnesses.
Funtime was ordered by the jury to give his parents $155 million apiece.
In an emailed statement following the ruling, civil rights and personal injury lawyers Ben Crump and Natalie Jackson said the decision was a step forward in holding companies responsible for the safety of their products.
According to the statement, the jury’s verdict supports our long-held contention that Tyre’s death was caused by willful negligence and a failure to put safety before profits. The verdict of today guarantees that the manufacturers of the ride will be held accountable for their failure to uphold their obligation to protect passengers.
In order to stop such tragedies from occurring in the future, we hope that this case will serve as a wake-up call for the whole industry to enact stronger safety regulations and oversight. A safer future for all riders will be the legacy of Tyre.
FILE: Before the Orlando Free Fall drop tower ride was taken out of ICON Park in Orlando, Tyre Sampson’s family and supporters marched and held signs outside the attraction. (Orlando Sentinel/Stephen M. Dowell via AP, File)AP
At 430 feet, the FreeFall was thought to be the tallest drop tower attraction in the world at the time. Unlike most of these rides, it included an overhead seat harness but no seatbelt. Tyre, who weighed 380 pounds and was over 6 feet tall, slipped off the ride when it abruptly braked after a quick drop, falling more than 70 feet to his death.
The businesses were charged with failing to install the proper restraint devices on the attraction and failing to notify the ride’s owner, Orlando Eagle Drop Slingshot, to post weight and height restrictions. ADP & Associates Professional Inspections was also charged in the case with failing to conduct a thorough inspection of the ride prior to Tyre’s ride.
33 months after Tyre’s tragic ride on the FreeFall was disassembled due to public anger over his death and official reports that showed no evidence of technical or physical breakdown on the attraction, the trial took place. Instead, investigators discovered that some seats’ harnesses were manually changed to open to nearly twice the range, which allowed Tyre to take the ride even though he wasn’t securely fastened in the seat.
Orlando Eagle Drop Slingshot paid $250,000 to the Florida Department of Agriculture in February 2023 as part of a settlement that also prohibited the firm from operating the FreeFall in the future and mandated that it not apply for or reapply for a permit to do so. A month later, ICON Park, where the FreeFall was situated adjacent to another ride run by the company, and the ride owner reached an undisclosed settlement and were removed from the wrongful death action as defendants.
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