A Florida It has been announced that the theme park will tear down the 430-foot-tall ride that killed teenager Tyree Sampson earlier this year.
The 6-foot-5-year-old, 14, was killed while visiting Florida during spring break in March with his football team from St. Louis, Missouri.
Tyro’s family says he weighed 340 pounds, while the maximum weight for a FreeFall ride in OrlandoAccording to the manual, the ICON Park weighed 287 pounds.
“We are devastated by Tyr’s death. We listened to the wishes of Tyro’s family and the community and made the decision to remove FreeFall,” said Richie Armstrong of Orlando Slingshot, which owns the ride.
“In addition, Orlando Slingshot will honor Tyro and his legacy in the classroom and on the football field by creating a scholarship in his name.”
The company says the timing of the closure of the ride, which was closed after the fatal accident, will be “determined by agreement between all interested parties and regulatory authorities.”
The ride, billed as the tallest tower in the world, opened last December and had only been in operation for three months before the accident.
In April, the teenager’s family sued Orlando Slingshot, ICON Park and the ride’s manufacturers and installers in an ongoing case.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services released a report saying inspectors found safety sensors on two of the ride’s seats had been altered so that they opened three to four inches wider than other seats.
An investigation is ongoing into who made the changes that appear to have allowed the young man to ride.
