The trial lasted only a day as the ride’s manufacturer never appeared in court to defend itself.
The parents of a 14-year-old boy who fell to his death from an Orlando amusement park ride in 2022 have won a $310 million verdict against the attraction’s builder.
Tyre Sampson, from St Louis, Missouri, was visiting Icon Park in Orlando, Florida with a group of friends while on spring break when they decided to ride the Orlando Free Fall – one of the park’s flagship attractions.
The ride – which is no longer in operation- placed 30 riders in seats attached to a tower, secured them with a shoulder harness and then dropped them 430 feet (131 meters). It didn’t have seat belts, something most drop rides have as an additional safety measure.
Because of Sampson’s size, the harness didn’t lock properly and he was ejected from his seat when the ride braked 70 feet from the ground.
"They didn't secure the seatbelt on him."
— JB Biunno #HeyJB (@WFLAJB) March 25, 2022
That's the claim of this 911 caller after a 14-year-old fell to his death on the Orlando Free-Fall drop tower at ICON Park.
An investigation is underway on what happened and whether he was properly secured. https://t.co/LO8fUly43K @WFLA pic.twitter.com/dBE3DmkqNU
Following the tragic incident, Sampson’s family revealed that the 14-year-old was “too big” for the ride and was turned away from two other attractions beforehand.
Sampson is said to have been six feet five inches tall and weighed around 340 pounds – more than 50 pounds over the maximum individual rider weight limit of 286.6 pounds stated in the ride’s operation manual.
Speaking to an NBC News affiliate outlet in 2022, Sampson’s cousin Shay Johnson spoke of how the teen wanted to try out the swing and the SlingShot rides but was told “he was too big for that”, questioning why “[park staff] did not let him get on those two, but y’all let him get on that one, being overweight.”
On Thursday, the Orange County jury ordered that the manufacturer Funtime Handels GMBH- which has its origins in Austria – pay $155 million each to Tyre Sampson’s parents, Nekia Dodd and Yarnell Sampson.
The company neither appeared in court on Thursday nor had legal representation present, according to court records.
Icon Park, which rented the ride’s space to Orlando Slingshot, the ride’s owner and operator, had already settled with Sampson’s family for an undisclosed amount.
“The jury’s decision confirms what we have long argued: Tyre’s death was the result of blatant negligence and a failure to prioritize safety over profits,” the family’s lawyers, Ben Crump and Natalie Jackson, said in a statement.
“The ride’s manufacturers neglected their duty to protect passengers, and (Thursday’s) outcome ensures they face the consequences,” they added.
The family will now have to seek an order from an Austrian court to collect the damages.
