DEATH PLUMMET
ICON Park accident – Boy, 14, flung to his death from world’s tallest drop ride in 400ft plunge in front of families
A TEEN boy has died after falling from the world's tallest drop ride in a 400ft plunge.
Tyre Sampson, 14, has been identified by police as the victim who fell to his death at ICON Park in , Florida just after 11pm local time on Thursday.
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Sampson, from Missouri, was visiting Central Florida with a friend's family, Orange County Sheriff John Mina confirmed on Friday.
Footage uploaded online shows the operator talking with riders before they take off into the air.
As the ride starts, the worker yells: “Hey did you take your seat belt on the left side. Seat belt.”
The thrillseekers on board then start rotating up the illuminated column.
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They rise hundreds of feet above the ground before plunging at a rapid speed.
A preliminary investigation points to a "tragic accident" and so far there are no criminal charges in the work, police said.
The Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services will be looking into whether there were issues with the ride itself.
Witness Montrey Williams told Fox35: "At first we thought it was a piece of the ride or whatever until we got a little closer and it was a person laying on the ground.
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"Everyone was just panicking and screaming."
ICON Park released a statement on Friday: "A tragedy occurred last night at the Orlando FreeFall and our hearts are heavy with sadness.
"The owner of the attraction is fully cooperating with authorities and ICON Park is doing everything we can to assist.
"The Orlando FreeFall will be closed pending a full investigation. Other businesses at ICON Park are scheduled to be open during their normal business hours."
The Orlando Free Fall stands at 430 feet and a maximum of 30 thrill-seekers can go on the ride.
It's not clear how many riders were on the amusement park attraction at the time of Thursday's incident.
It's the world's tallest free-standing drop tower, according to the website.
Thrillseekers are rotated around a tower as they rise up into the air.
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They are then tilted at a 30-degree angle before plunging nearly 400 feet at speeds of around 75mph.
The Orlando Free Fall ride opened on December 28 last year.
ICON Park is also home to the Orlando Slingshot - the tallest slingshot ride in the world.
And, the theme park's StarFlyer attraction claims to be the world's tallest swing ride.
Jacob Kaminsky, 21, fell to his death while inspecting the ride in September 2020.
He was climbing up the tower part of the ride as he carried out a safety check, according to the
But, Kaminsky fell backward onto a platform below.
Cops estimate that the worker fell between 50 and 60 feet.
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He was taken to a local trauma hospital where he later died.
The Sun has approached ICON Park for comment.
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