The family of Tyre Sampson, the 14-year-old boy who fell from a Florida amusement park ride on March 24, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Monday.
The Missouri teenager was on a spring break trip when he died after falling from the Orlando FreeFall tower attraction at ICON Park around 11 p.m. on March 24. He "fell at least a hundred feet to his death" after being "ejected" from the ride.
Nekia Dodd and Yarnell Sampson, the teenager's parents, filed a lawsuit against multiple businesses on Monday. "Despite his prowess on the football field, he was known as a kind-hearted person who cared about others," the lawsuit reads. "Tyre had a long and prosperous life in front of him that was cut short by this tragic event."
The lawsuit was filed against multiple entities associated with the amusement park ride, including owner-operator the SlingShot Group, Icon Park, ride manufacturer Fun Time Thrill Rides, and Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, which manufactured the seats and harnesses.
"Orlando Slingshot continues to fully cooperate with the State during its investigation, and we will continue to do so until it has officially concluded," an attorney for Orlando Slingshot said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. "We reiterate that all protocols, procedures and safety measures provided by the manufacturer of the ride were followed."
"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."
The ride is considered the world's tallest free-standing drop tower--430 feet. "Once the ride reaches the top, it tilts forward 30° and free falls several hundred feet at speeds of more than 75 miles per hour," the lawsuit added. "Upon coming to a stop, the riders experience a g-force of around 4. To put this into perspective, the g-force experienced by astronauts during shuttle take-off is 3."
Sampson died when he slipped through the gap between the harness and the seat on the Orlando FreeFall ride. According to the lawsuit, the amusement park ride was "unreasonably dangerous," and the staff was careless in allowing Sampson, who was 6-feet-2-inches tall with a weight of approximately 380 pounds, to get on the ride. The suit also claimed the FreeFall ride was defective for several reasons.
