Orlando Park To Tear Down Ride Responsible For Tyre Sampson's Death

ORLANDO, FL — The owner of the Orlando FreeFall will take down the 400-foot-tall ride in ICON Park following the accidental death of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson in March, the company said Thursday.

Orlando Eagle Drop Slingshot, which owns the ride, said the decision resulted directly from Sampson's death.

Sampson, a Missouri middle school student and football player, died on March 24 when he was thrown from the Orlando FreeFall ride. The teen fell at least 100 feet, according to previous reports.

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Sampson weighed 383 pounds at the time of his death, his autopsy said, while the maximum passenger weight allowed on the Orlando FreeFall ride is just over 286 pounds, according to its manual.

“We are devastated by Tyre’s death. We have listened to the wishes of Tyre’s family and the community, and have made the decision to take down the FreeFall," Ritchie Armstrong with Orlando Slingshot said in a statement.

Sampson was on spring break in Orlando when he died of blunt force trauma in late March, according to the autopsy. He suffered fractures to his face, ribs, pelvis, right arm, and left leg, and he also experienced multiple hemorrhages, lacerations to his liver and spleen, and perforation of the stomach.

Sampson’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the park, ride operator, and manufacturer, claiming it was negligence that caused their son to fall at least 100 feet from the drop-tower ride, which reaches speeds of 75 mph.

Armstrong said Orlando Slingshot plans to "honor Tyre and his legacy in the classroom and on the football field" by creating a scholarship in his name.

The company provided no timeline for when the FreeFall will be taken down.