Teen died of blunt trauma after fall from Florida ride

A Missouri teen visiting an Orlando theme park died from blunt force trauma after he fell more than 70 stories from an amusement park ride, according to the newly released autopsy report.

Tyre Sampson slipped out of his seat on ICON Park’s FreeFall drop tower located in Orlando’s tourism district on March 24. The attraction — which carries riders to the top, tilts the seats forward 30 degrees toward the ground, and then free-falls at up to 75 mph — was about halfway through when the teen plummeted to his death.

An autopsy report released on Monday revealed the extent of Sampson’s extensive injuries, which included a fractured jaw, a broken arm, a broken leg and fractures to a number of ribs, WESH reported. It also confirmed that Sampson, a football player from the St. Louis area, weighed 383 pounds when he fell from the ride, which is nearly 100 pounds heavier than its weight limit of 287 pounds.

His death was ruled an accident by the Orange County Medical Examiner.

In April, Quest Engineering & Failure Analysis Inc., a forensic engineering firm hired by state officials to investigate the incident, found sensors on the ride had been adjusted manually to double the size of the opening for restraints on two seats. The move allowed workers to buckle Sampson in, but it caused a greater gap than usual between the harness and the seat, which allowed to the teen to slip free while the ride was in free-fall.

Sampson’s family have since filed a wrongful death lawsuit that accuses several defendants of negligence, including ICON Park and Orlando SlingShot, the ride’s manufacturer. It also names Funtime Handels, the Austria-based seat manufacturer, and Gerstlauer Amusement Rides in Germany.

The drop tower at ICON park was closed after the incident and has not reopened to the public.

With News Wire Services