Teens death after fall from Florida amusement park ride couldve been prevented, family says

Tyre Sampson fell more than 100 feet from the trip. April 26, 2022, 3:20 AM – 4 min readShare to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleThe household of the teen who died after falling from an amusement park ride in Florida informed “Good Morning America” that his death was avoidable.”This mightve been avoided … it ought tove been avoided,” Nekia Dodd, the mother of Tyre Sampson, told “GMA.” “So as an operator, you work to inspect those flights, you understand. The video I saw, that was not done. And if it was done, it mustve been done more than as soon as, you know.”Sampson, 14, died after falling from a flight at ICON Park in Orlando on March 24. His parents filed a civil wrongful death claim on Monday.Dodd and Tyre Sampsons dad, Yarnell Sampson, submitted the lawsuit in the 9th Circuit Court in Orange County, Florida, accusing ICON Park in Orlando and other offenders, including the manufacturer and the operator of the FreeFall thrill ride, of negligence.A makeshift memorial for Tyre Sampson is viewed outside the Orlando Free Fall flight at the ICON Park home entertainment complex, on April 20, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Sampson, a teen checking out from Missouri on spring break, fell to his death while on the ride.”Tyre had a thriving and long life in front of him that was interrupted by this tragic occasion,” the suit states.”Orlando Slingshot continues to fully work together with the State during its examination, and we will continue to do so up until it has formally concluded,” Trevor Arnold, lawyer for Orlando Slingshot, said in a statement to ABC News. “We reiterate that all protocols, treatments and security procedures offered by the manufacturer of the ride were followed. We anticipate dealing with the Florida legislature to implement modification in the industry and we are likewise helpful of the principles detailed by State Representative Geraldine Thompson to make modifications to state law through the Tyre Sampson Bill to prevent a tragic mishap like this from ever taking place once again.”Last week, authorities noted operator error as the main presumed cause in the death of Sampson, who slipped out of his seat on a drop-tower flight and fell more than 100 feet to the pavement.In this screen grab from video, Nekia Dodd, the mother of Tyre Sampson who was eliminated in an Orlando amusement park mishap last month is shown during an interview with GMA.Sampsons parents are set up to hold a press conference with their attorneys Tuesday to talk about the legal action.You can view the full interview with Dodd Tuesday early morning on “GMA.”ABC News Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.