Others have complained about the same seat, attorney says Even though that ride is also capable of leaning forward, he said, the operators at Dollywood chose not to tilt the ride forward for safety reasons.īut the Dollywood public relations director, Wes Ramey, said the ride at Dollywood is not designed to tilt. The lawsuit states “a reasonable manufacturer, constructor, operator, distributor, designer, and supplier” would have installed a mechanism to stop operation of the ride if a rider’s restraint was not properly secured and also not allow the sensors to be manipulated or adjusted.Ī similar free-fall ride at Dollywood – which has temporarily closed in light of the Florida tragedy – does include a lower restraint, Haggard said. “In one night, this would have been paid for and this would have never happened.” You would have paid for that in two to three rides,” Haggard said. “What’s really sad about this is that had they put the seat belt in, it would have cost $22 (per seat). Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service/Getty Images The Orlando FreeFall ride, shown here in March, has been closed since Tyre Sampson's death. And that could have saved Tyre’s life, Haggard said. To outfit the ride with the seat belt combination, “All of the seats combined would cost approximately $660,” according to the lawsuit. “While most free fall rides of this type have both a shoulder harness and a seatbelt, this subject Free Fall ride only had an over-the-shoulder harness to ‘secure’ riders,” the lawsuit states. But it’s … not supposed to kill you.”Ī seat belt system would have helped, lawsuit says So you go through a metal detector, which there’s no risk of that associated with the ride, except maybe the keys could fall out and hit somebody,” he said. “Yet at this ride in Orlando, the FreeFall ride, they have a metal detector. They don’t tell the ride operator you need to have a scale, if weight is in question,” Haggard told CNN on Monday. “The manufacturer in the manual says right there and then that you cannot be over 287 pounds. Josh duLac/CNNĪ 14-year-old fell to his death from the new drop tower ride at Florida's ICON Park Michael Haggard, the attorney representing Tyre’s mother, Nekia Dodd, said he was appalled by that omission.Ī teenager died after falling from a drop tower at Orlando-area's ICON Park. There were no clear weight limits nor scales at the ride site, even though the ride tilted about 30 degrees forward, the suit states. “We look forward to working with the Florida legislature to implement change in the industry and we are also supportive of the concepts outlined by State Representative Geraldine Thompson to make changes to state law through the ‘Tyre Sampson Bill’ to prevent a tragic accident like this from ever happening again.”įuntime Handels and Gerstlauer Amusement Rides did not immediately respond to CNN’s requests for comment.Ī metal detector, but no posted weight limit “We reiterate that all protocols, procedures and safety measures provided by the manufacturer of the ride were followed,” the statement said. Orlando SlingShot attorney Trevor Arnold issued a written statement Monday saying the company “continues to fully cooperate with the State during its investigation, and we will continue to do so until it has officially concluded.” We will continue to support the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services with their ongoing investigation,” the statement read. “ICON Park is committed to providing a safe, fun experience for families. Last week, ICON Park said it is “deeply troubled that the preliminary findings of the state’s investigation indicate a sensor on the Orlando FreeFall attraction, which is owned and operated by the SlingShot Group, had been mis-adjusted after the sensor was originally secured in place.” Teen who died at Florida amusement park was a football standout and a 'gentle giant' with a kind heart, loved ones say Tyre Sampson, 14, died after he fell off a ride at ICON Park in Orlando.
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