Parents who fell off Flourida ride hope wrongful death lawsuit sparks change

The parents of a Missouri teenager who died last month after falling from an amusement park ride in Orlando, Florida, said they filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Monday to “create change.”

Tyre Sampson’s mother, Nekia Dodd, said Tuesday during a news conference in St. Louis that she felt helpless after learning of her son’s fatal plummet from the Free Fall attraction at ICON Park on March 24.
It’s incredibly upsetting to receive a phone call and not be there as a mother to console, you know, tell him, ‘It’s going to be OK.’ It’s heartbreaking. It’s heartbreaking. “I couldn’t help my son,” Dodd explained.

I couldn’t get near him. I couldn’t keep him still. I couldn’t bear-hugging him. I was powerless to act. That is not something I would wish on any parent.”
Tyre’s father, Yarnell Sampson, told NBC’s “TODAY” show in an exclusive interview that aired Tuesday: Tyre Sampson was my 14-year-old son. He was gone from me far too soon.

You know, the raw emotions of kissing your child and telling them you love them. That is not an option for me. Or the opportunity to say that it no longer exists. In a 65-page lawsuit filed Monday in Orange County’s 9th Judicial Circuit Court, Sampson and Dodd are identified as plaintiffs. Orlando Eagle Drop Slingshot LLC, which owns the Free Fall, and others were named as defendants.

Orlando Eagle Drop Slingshot LLC, which owns the Free Fall, and ICON Park were named as defendants. ICON Park did not respond to a request for comment on the claim.

Funtime Handels GMBH and Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GMBH, an Austrian business that designed and constructed the ride, have also been listed as defendants, according to NBC affiliate WESH in Orlando. No one from the group could be reached for comment.

On Monday, attorneys for the Slingshot group issued a statement that did not directly address the lawsuit but did declare that the company is collaborating with state investigators. “We mention that all protocols, procedures, and safety measures provided by the ride’s manufacturer were followed,” said the statement. “We look forward to working with the Florida government to implement industry change, and we also support the ‘Tyre Sampson Bill’ to avoid a sad accident like this from happening again.

According to the lawsuit, the ride operator “negligently changed the restraint mechanisms on the Free Fall ride failed to train their personnel and failed to deliver a safe amusement park attraction. During a press conference in St. Louis, Dodd’s attorney, Michael Haggard, stated that a seat belt would have saved Tyre’s life, despite the fact that he was only in eighth grade. Unlike similar rides, Free Fall simply had an over-the-shoulder strap to keep riders secure, according to Haggard.