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A Florida The jury awarded $310 million to the family of a 14 year old WHO fell hundreds of feet until his death from an amusement park ride more than two years ago.
The sum was awarded to Tyro Sampson’s parents for pain and suffering following his death in 2022, in addition to medical and funeral expenses. The case entered a default judgment after Austrian manufacturer Funtime Handels failed to appear at a civil trial in Orange County on Thursday.
The company decided not to settle the matter last year. As a result, the judge found them responsible for the teenager’s death.
Sampson went to ICON Park in Orlando during spring break with his friends on March 24, 2022, when he was visiting Florida from St. Louis, Missouri.
During that visit he decided to ride the FreeFall drop tower. While on the attraction, he slipped from his harness halfway down the 400-foot drop and plummeted to the ground in front of horrified parkgoers.
He suffered serious injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died.
The lawsuit filed by the family claims the ride did not have seat belts, adding that it would have cost the manufacturer $22 per seat. It was also reported that the teenager, who was 6’5 and 380 pounds, was turned away from two other rides at the park because of his size. He was reportedly more than 100 pounds over the FreeFall ride limit.
His family said there are no weight or scale restrictions posted at the ride location. In addition, Sampson’s seat was “manually loosened, adjusted and tightened”, creating a greater gap between his harness and the seat, the independent firm found. The driver was on the job for three days and was considered a “trainee”.
The state report determined that “the cause of the accident was that Sampson’s tire was not properly secured in the seat.” An autopsy revealed that he died of blunt force trauma.
The ride was dismantled a year after his death. Sampson’s mother, Nekia Dodd, was there to see him taken down. The ride was previously described as the world’s tallest freestanding tower.
“Unfortunately, when he passed, I wasn’t there for him. So I had to do this,” Ms. Dodd said at the time. “I didn’t want to come under these circumstances, but I had to do this.” Thursday’s ruling awarded $155 million each to Sampson’s mother and father, Yarnell Sampson.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented the families, called the ruling “a step forward in holding corporations accountable for the safety of their products.”
“The jury’s decision confirms what we have long argued: Tyre’s death was the result of gross negligence and a failure to prioritize safety over profit,” he said. “Ride manufacturers neglected their duty to protect passengers and today’s outcome ensures they face the consequences of those decisions.”
He wants the case to serve as a “wake-up call” for the theme park industry and is calling for tighter safety measures and oversight to prevent similar tragedies.
“The legacy of tires will be a safer future for drivers everywhere.”
Sampson’s death led to a new law in Florida called the Tire Sampson Act. The law requires rides above 100 feet to have seat belts and harnesses and to be inspected by independent regulatory agencies. Operators must report accidents immediately and the state can impound unsafe drives. Changes to sensors or limitations must be documented and justified.
Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law in May 2023.