What Happened to Tyre Samson?
An Orlando amusement park ride operator claims that Tyre Samson, a 14-year-old boy who died after being clipped by another rider requested that the friend strapped in next to him tell his parents he loved them in case “I don’t make it down.”
Tyre Samson’s father, Yarnell Samson, said the “Orlando Free-Fall” ride at ICON Park made his son feel uneasy as soon as it started going up.
“When the ride took off, that’s when he was feeling uncomfortable. He was like ‘this thing is moving,’ you know what I’m saying. And he was like ‘what’s going on?’” Samson told Fox 35.
“And that’s when he started freaking out,” the dad continued.
The teen then told the friend beside him: “If I don’t make it down tell … Please tell my mama and daddy I love them.”
“For him to say something like that, he must have felt something,” Samson told the outlet.
When the ride was about halfway down its 430-foot descent, his son tragically fell to his death. He died after being taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An outraged father wants to know why his 6-foot-5, 340-pound son was allowed to board a ride when others refused to let him because of his height and weight.
“This one particular ride decided, ‘yeah, we’re gonna take you, come on, get on,’ when nobody else allowed him to get on the rides,” Samson told the Orlando station.
“So I wanna know what happened between now and then that made them say, ‘come on, you can get on this ride,” he added.
In addition to Tyre, two of his close friends also attended the event. From Missouri, the boys had taken a flight to Orlando. In addition to being a star athlete in school, Samson’s son also aspired to play in the National Football League.
“This should never happen to nobody else’s child ever again,” he said. “And if I have something to do with it, it never will ever again.”
At the end of December, the “Orlando Free Fall” had just opened. According to the park’s website, it has a height of 430 feet, making it the tallest free-standing drop tower in the world. Passengers are able to travel up to 30 stories before descending at speeds of more than 75 miles per hour on this ride.
The attraction has over-the-shoulder restraint harnesses, with two hand grips at the chest level, that riders pull down and are released automatically at the end of the ride.
Another inspector was taking measurements while an inspector sat in a ride seat with the security harness over his shoulders.
It doesn’t appear that the tragedy was planned, according to Orange County Sheriff John Mina. There’s still a lot of work to do.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What happened to TYRE on the roller coaster?
Tyre Sampson, who died on March 24 after falling from the Orlando Free Fall ride at ICON Park, which is billed as the "world's biggest free-standing drop tower," drops over 400 feet at a speed of more than 75 mph.
How did TYRE fall out of the ride?
According to a preliminary analysis from outside engineers employed by the Florida Department of Agriculture, sensors on the ride had been manually changed to double the size of the opening for restraints on two seats, which led to Sampson not being adequately restrained.
How tall is Tyre?
Tyre was 383 pounds and six feet tall. Maximum weight for the FreeFall Drop Tower is 286 pounds. The Orange County Medical Examiner also came to the conclusion that blunt force trauma caused the promising football player's death.
How far did Tyre Sampson actually fall?
According to the assessment that was made public, Sampson suffered blunt force trauma and died after falling more than 70 feet.