SECONDS FROM DEATH
Chilling ICON Park video shows Tyre Sampson’s harness was not buckled moments before he fell to his death
CHILLING images appear to show that the 14-year-old boy who fell to his death from a free fall ride was not safely secured in his seat.
Tyre Sampson, 14, was pictured just before he plunged to his death at ICON Park in , Florida on Thursday night.
11
11
11
11
11
11
The teen was seen sitting on the ride with his harness seemingly unbuckled and hanging over his shoulders.
Unlike the other riders sitting next to him, Tyre's harness doesn't appear to be pulled down all the way and fastened onto his seat.
Cops identified the teen in a press conference on Friday afternoon as they revealed he was visiting Orlando with a friend's family during Spring Break.
Authorities said that Tyre's death appeared to be an accident from preliminary investigations.
Read more on Icon Park tragedy
They also referenced a video shared on social media that appeared to show staff talking to the other people on the ride shortly before Tyre's tragic death.
The thrill-seekers were seen giggling and chatting with the ride's workers as they waited for the ride to start.
Riders also asked the operators about the seat belts.
One said: "Why doesn't this have the little clicky click? Like the seat belt?"
Most read in The Sun
The worker replied: "You talking about a seat belt?"
A bystander appeared to joke: “Make it go faster than 75.”
As the ride starts, the worker yells: “Hey did you take your seat belt on the left side. Seat belt.”
The ride starts spinning as those on board are hoisted hundreds of feet above the ground before plunging at around 75mph.
The shocking footage captured the moment Tyre fell off the attraction.
Following the accident, one woman asked for an ambulance while others screamed as they wanted to exit the ride.
So far there are no criminal charges in the work, police said.
Tyre, from Missouri, was visiting Central Florida with a friend's family, Orange County Sheriff John Mina confirmed on Friday.
The Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services will be looking into whether there were issues with the ride itself.
A spokesperson for the Slingshot Group of Companies, which owns the ride, confirmed the teenager was in a safety harness.
They added that staff "operate the ride with all the safety precaution(s) in mind."
ICON Park, on its part, 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."
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.
The Orlando Free Fall stands at 430 feet and a maximum of 30 thrill-seekers can go on the ride at one time.
THEME PARK PLUNGE
Thursday’s death is not the only tragedy to rock the theme park in recent years.
ICON Park is not only home to Free Fall but features other tourist attractions such as The Wheel and StarFlyer.
StarFlyer stands at 450 feet and claims to be the world's tallest stand-alone swing ride.
In 2020, worker Jacob Kaminsky fell backward while carrying out a safety check on the StarFlyer ride.
He was climbing up the tower part of the ride as he carried out a safety check, according to the
But, Kaminsky, who was described as a roller coaster enthusiast by pals, fell backward onto a platform below.
Cops estimated at the time that he fell between 50 and 60 feet.
Paramedics frantically performed CPR and Kaminsky was taken to a trauma center where he was pronounced dead.
Family friend Cheryl Wessely said: “It was only natural that he landed a job in the field of building them.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Read More on The US Sun
Meanwhile, pal Chris Ross, 19, said: “Anything he could do with roller coasters he wanted to do. He just loved it.”
The worker reportedly spent hours building toy coasters as a child and loved watching movies about them.
11
11
11
11
11
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The US Sun team?
Email us at [email protected] or call 212 416 4552.
Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at
Topics