The Orlando FreeFall ride at ICON Park which is operated by Orlando Slingshot announced they will tear down the 400-foot ride following the death of Tyre Sampson on March 24 earlier this year.
Ritchie Armstrong, the owner of Orlando Slingshot said he was devasted by Tyre’s death and said he wanted to do right by his family.
“We have listened to the wishes of Tyre’s family and the community, and have made the decision to take down the FreeFall,” Armstrong said. “In addition, Orlando Slingshot will honor Tyre and his legacy in the classroom and on the football field by creating a scholarship in his name.”
The ride was advertised at the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower, took riders 400 feet in the air before free falling at speeds of over 75 mph according to Icon Park.
According to an accident report released in April, Sampson (14) was deemed over the weight limit for the ride and was sitting in a manually adjusted and unsafe seat with sensors modified so the ride could operate. The opening of the seats were deemed twice as large and were seen as the reason why fell out of his seat to his death.
A month after the incident, Sampson’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the park, manufacturer and ride operator accusing all three parties of negligence.
Ben Crump and Bob Hilliard, Attorneys for Sampson’s family, said in a statement to the Associated Press said they were relieved that the announcement of the ride closing has finally come.
“While this announcement is long overdue, the news today is a relief to Tyre Sampson’s grieving father, who has been advocating for this since the day Tyre fell to his death,” Crump and Hilliard said in a statement.
Following Sampson’s death the ride has been closed indefinitely.
ICON Park said they appreciated the decision Orlando Slingshot made in deciding to tear down the ride.
“As the landlord, ICON Park welcomes and appreciates Orlando Slingshot’s decision to take down the ride,” ICON Park said in a statement.
Decision on when the ride will be taken down will be made at a later date.
