Autopsy Report Reveals Tyre Sampson Was Almost 100 Pounds Over The Weight Limit To Ride Amusement Park Ride
The details of the tragic death of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson seemingly become more devastating with each update.
According to CNN, the latest autopsy report results determined that the Missouri teen was almost 100 pounds over the maximum weight limit of the FreeFall Drop Tower at ICON Park in Orlando, Florida, when he fell hundreds of feet to his death on March 24 during a spring break getaway. Tyre was six feet tall and weighed 383 pounds. The FreeFall Drop Tower’s weight max– is 286 pounds.
The Orange County Medical Examiner also concluded that the up-and-coming football player died from blunt force trauma. His injuries included fractured limbs, ribs and skull with lacerations to his arms, feet, face and stomach. The coroner ruled Tyre’s death an accident.
The autopsy report corroborates Tyre’s family’s theory that ride operators at ICON Park were negligent. In March, a private certified ride safety inspector, Ken Marlin, also surmised to WKMG-TV News 6 Orlando that Tyre was too heavy for the FreeFall Drop Tower. Marlin, who has 25 years of experience in the industry, explained the science behind his ruling.
“We know this young man has been reported by his father that he weighed 350 pounds. For the sake of discussion, we’re going to assume that when that ride drops at first drop, that there is negative two (G-forces, two times the force of gravity). Those negative two (G-forces) times his weight, 350 pounds, that means that there’s 700 pounds of force that are pushing on his body. And I don’t care how athletic a person is, how strong they are, there’s no way a person who weighs that amount subjected to negative two (G-forces) can hold themselves in the ride.”
Coupled with the ride operator altering the FreeFall Drop Tower’s safety harness to accommodate Tyre’s massive size, Marlin further opined, “The restraint was definitely not properly secured. I know and have seen pictures of the ride that indicate there are no seat belts on the ride, which would classify as (only) one redundant safety system.”
The owners of the ride, Orlando Slingshot Group, released a statement following the results of the autopsy report.
“The loss of Tyre Sampson was a tragic accident. We continue to communicate and cooperate with representatives of Tyre’s family, as well as the Department of Agriculture. We are devoted to working with our lawmakers in making lasting safety changes in the amusement park industry.”
In April, BET.com reported that The Sampson family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Funtime Handels GmbH, the Austrian company that manufactured the ride; Keator Construction, which built the ride, and the Orlando Slingshot Group. The clan currently seeks roughly $30,000 plus attorney’s fees.
Sampson family attorney, Ben Crump, lambasted the park and FreeFall Drop Tower manufacturers– claiming “poor decisions” resulted in Tyre’s tragic death.
“The defendants in Tyre’s case showed negligence in a multitude of ways. From the ride and seat manufacturers and the installer to the owners and operators, the defendants had more than enough chances to enact safeguards, such as seatbelts, that could have prevented Tyre’s death. They didn’t, and their poor decisions resulted in deadly consequences for a promising young man and lifelong pain for his family.”
