Orlando FreeFall ride death: Video shows Tyre Sampson in seat moments before falling

Orlando FreeFall death: Video shows Tyre Sampson in seat moments before falling

Cellphone video shows the moments before a 14-year-old boy fell from an Orlando drop tower ride. Ride safety experts say his seat locked but was not pulled down far enough.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Cell phone video shows the moments before a 14-year-old boy died after falling from the Orlando FreeFall ride at ICON Park.

A side angle shows Tyre Sampson in his seat on the drop tower ride. Sampson's harness appears to be much higher compared to other riders.

The accident report submitted to the state by the ride operator said the ride was coming down the tower and when the magnets engaged, Sampson fell out of his seat. That report also mentioned that the harness was still in a "down and locked position" when the ride stopped.

FOX 35 News showed the videos to two different experts and their opinions were similar.

"I see a patron in an amusement ride and that over the shoulder restraint system is not properly affixed."

"It should have been a closed circuit. Where it came all the way down over the shoulder containing the person and resting in their lap or the seat pan."

FOX 35 went through the operator's manual and found out how the harnesses are checked. Workers pull up a screen and ‘green’ means the seat is locked and good to go. The attendants at the ride that night say they did check Sampson's seat and say it was locked.

Documents submitted to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services division by the owners of Orlando FreeFall -- part of the regulatory process for amusement rides – provide a picture into how the ride works and processes followed. Those documents are also sparking lots of questions.

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"If he was over the weight limit, why did you all allow him to get on this ride? You all told him he couldn’t go on the slingshot. You told him he couldn’t the swing. Yet, you allowed him to get on this one. Why?" asked Shay Johnson, Sampson's cousin.

The operations and maintenance manual from Funtimes, the designer and manufacturer of the ride, spells out everything from how to conduct safety checks on the ride every day to how to use it properly. According to that manual, the maximum weight limit for riders is 287 pounds. Sampson’s father tells FOX 35 News that the teen weighed 340 pounds, which would be 53 pounds over the weight limit.

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