On March 24, 2022, 14-year-old Tyre Sampson fell to his death from the Orlando FreeFall ride at ICON Park in Orlando, Florida. The ride, which was operated by a company called The SlingShot Group, was a 430-foot-tall free-fall tower that dropped riders at high speeds.

His parents argued that Orlando Slingshot and Funtime should have warned their son about the risks of someone his size going on the ride and didn’t provide an appropriate restraint system. Adding seat belts would have cost $660.

Late Thursday, the Orange County jury ordered that the manufacturer Funtime pay $155 million each to Tyre Sampson’s parents, Nekia Dodd and Yarnell Sampson after winning a record $310 million verdict against the attraction’s Austrian builder.

The state ordered the ride closed after the accident and it never reopened. It is now being demolished.

Tyre Sampson’s death has been a subject of significant legal scrutiny and controversy, with questions about the ride’s safety and the responsibilities of both the ride manufacturer and the amusement park operators.

Key Events Leading to Tyre Sampson’s Death:

• Tyre Sampson, who was visiting Orlando with his friends, was reportedly too large for the ride’s restraints. Despite his size (he weighed 380 pounds, which was above the recommended weight limit of 287 pounds for the ride), Sampson was allowed to board the ride.
• When the ride began its ascent and dropped, Tyre fell out of his seat and plummeted to the ground, ultimately causing fatal injuries.
• Investigations following the accident found that the ride’s seatbelt and restraint system were not properly secured. Additionally, evidence showed that the ride’s safety sensors had been manually adjusted, possibly to accommodate riders who were too large for the ride.

Legal Findings and Liability:

In the aftermath of Tyre Sampson’s death, multiple investigations and lawsuits were launched to determine who was responsible for the incident.

1. The Ride Manufacturer (Chance Rides, Inc.):

The ride was manufactured by Chance Rides, a company known for creating amusement park attractions. According to the investigation, the ride’s design and operation played a significant role in the fatal accident. Specifically:

• Faulty Restraints: The restraint system was designed in a way that was inadequate for larger riders. This contributed to Tyre being able to slip out of his seat during the free fall.
• Safety Protocols: The ride’s sensors, which were supposed to ensure that restraints were properly secured, were found to have been manually overridden or adjusted. This action made the ride dangerous, especially for individuals whose body size was outside the safe operating parameters.

As a result, Chance Rides was found partially liable for the accident due to both the faulty design and the failure of the ride’s safety mechanisms. The company was accused of not properly ensuring that the ride could safely accommodate larger riders and for allowing a dangerous condition to persist without addressing it.

2. The Park Operators (The SlingShot Group and ICON Park):

While the ride operator and park staff were certainly involved in the incident, they were not found to be as directly responsible as the manufacturer. The SlingShot Group, the company that ran the ride, and ICON Park, the location where the ride was housed, were sued for negligence. However, the court found that their role in the accident was secondary to the manufacturer’s failure to provide a safe ride.

• Negligence in Screening Riders: The park staff failed to properly screen riders for safety and to check that restraints were secured. However, given the overriding of safety sensors and the inadequate design of the ride, the park staff’s actions were not deemed the primary cause of the incident.
• Lack of Oversight: Although the park staff should have prevented Tyre Sampson from riding or at least ensured his safety by properly securing him, their negligence did not directly cause the accident in the same way the ride’s faulty design and safety measures did.

3. Lawsuit Outcome:

In legal terms, Chance Rides, Inc. was found to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the accident due to its role in designing and manufacturing the ride with insufficient safety features. Tyre’s family filed a lawsuit against both Chance Rides and the park operators, but it was the ride manufacturer who faced the largest portion of liability.

Why the Ride Maker Was Found More Liable Than Workers at the Park:

Design Flaws: The ride’s design and failure of safety restraints were a primary factor in the accident. The ride’s restraints were inadequate to keep a larger rider like Tyre Sampson safely secured during the ride’s drop.

Manual Override of Safety Sensors: Evidence showed that the ride’s safety systems had been manually adjusted, which was a significant factor in allowing the fatal accident to occur. The park workers were not directly involved in this override, which was done by the ride’s maintenance or technical staff, but this decision was linked directly to the ride’s manufacturer.

Park Workers’ Limited Role: While the park workers did not properly assess Tyre Sampson’s suitability for the ride, and some safety procedures were not followed, the overriding of safety systems meant the park’s role was secondary. In legal terms, while negligence in supervision or screening riders could be a factor, it didn’t carry the same weight as the ride’s design flaws and safety system failures.

Manufacturing Defects: The ride’s design was ultimately found to be flawed in such a way that it didn’t account for larger riders, and the safety systems were easily bypassed. The manufacturer was found liable for these fundamental problems that contributed to Tyre’s death.

In the Tyre Sampson case, the ride manufacturer, Chance Rides, was found to be more liable than the workers at the park due to the core issue of faulty design and the failure of safety mechanisms that could have prevented the tragedy.

While the park and ride operators were also found to have been negligent, the primary responsibility for the incident was placed on the ride’s design flaws and the failure of the manufacturer to ensure the ride was safe for all potential riders.  Due to negligence, an amusement park fatality occurred.

Remember that every personal injury case is unique, and success depends on the specific circumstances surrounding the incident. Consulting with a qualified personal injury attorney is advisable to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your case and navigate the legal process effectively.

Our Personal Injury Lawyers work aggressively seeking compensation for damages and have recovered millions of dollars in settlements.