Orlando FreeFall: Amusement park ride safety expert says 'someone killed' teenager and charges should be filed
ORLANDO, Fla. - A ride safety expert believes "someone killed" the teenager who died after falling off an amusement park ride in Florida and believes charges should be filed in the teen's death.
Tyre Sampson, 14, fell to his death from the Orlando FreeFall ride at ICON Park in Orlando, Florida, March 24. An operating manual for the Orlando FreeFall ride says the maximum passenger weight is just over 286 pounds. Sampson, who lived in Missouri, was 6 feet, 5 inches tall and reportedly weighed 360 pounds.
Ken Martin, an amusement park ride safety analyst and consultant, told Fox News Digital he believes the Orlando FreeFall incident is "criminal," and says "somebody killed Mr. Tyre Sampson."
"I'm sorry. With all these circumstances, all these incidents that occurred, it's criminal. Somebody killed Mr. Tyre Sampson," Martin said.
Tyre Sampson, 14, is pictured in a provided family photo.
Martin suggets a grand jury be formed with input from people within the industry, saying that somebody should be charged for Sampson's death. Martin said the ride's operator should have seen that the shoulder harness was not in the right spot, adding that "multiple causes" led to the incident.
"Once Mr. Sampson got on the ride, the ride operator should have come around, attempted to pull the shoulder harness over him and lock it," Martin said. "We all saw that. We know that the shoulder restraint did not come down where it was supposed to be and that, you know, is an issue."
An accident report filled out by an employee states that the seat harness was in a locked position after Tyre fell out.
"FreeFall was coming … down the tower. When the magnets engaged, the patron came out of the seat," an employee wrote in the report. "Harness was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped."
An accident report filled out by an employee states that the seat harness was in a locked position after Tyre fell out.
"FreeFall was coming … down the tower. When the magnets engaged, the patron came out of the seat," an employee wrote in the report. "Harness was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped."
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The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services released its commissioned engineering report performed by Quest Engineering last week, which states that a "proximity sensor" for the harness being used by Sampson was "manually loosened," meaning Sampson wasn't properly secured in his seat.
Nikki Fried, Florida commissioner of agriculture and consumer services, said during a press conference last week that "maladjustments" were made to the seat's proximity sensor that allowed a safety light to illuminate, allowing Sampson to ride even though he was not "properly secured in the seat."
"These maladjustments allowed the safety lights to illuminate – improperly satisfying the ride's electronic safety mechanisms — that allowed the ride to operate even though Mr. Sampson was not properly secured in the seat," Fried said. "The report confirms that manual adjustments had been made to the sensor for the seat in question that allowed the harness' restraint opening to be almost double that of the normal restraints opening range."
Samson's harness had a proximity sensor that "was manually loosened, adjusted and tightened to allow a restraint opening of near seven inches," according to the report.
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Normally, the range is around three inches, according to the report.
"Orlando Slingshot continues to fully cooperate with the State during its investigation, and we will continue to do so until it has officially concluded. We reiterate that all protocols, procedures and safety measures provided by the manufacturer of the ride were followed," Trevor Arnold, an attorney representing operator Orlando Slingshot, said in a statement sent to FOX 35 News.
"We look forward to working with the Florida legislature to implement change in the industry, and we are also supportive of the concepts outlined by State Representative Geraldine Thompson to make changes to state law through the ‘Tyre Sampson Bill’ to prevent a tragic accident like this from ever happening again."
The ride has been closed since Sampson's death March 24. Depending on the outcome of the department's investigation, it could be closed for good, Fried said during a previous press conference.
Fox News' Jon Brown contributed to this report.
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