14-year-old Tyre Sampson was on spring break with his football team when he fell approximately 100 feet from a drop tower ride at ICON Park in Orlando in March 2022.
His death was ruled to be a result of blatant negligence, and now his parents have been awarded $310 million in a settlement with the manufacturer of the ride, Funtime Handels GmbH. The award was made following a swift civil trial in Florida, and the money will be split equally between Tyre’s mother and father, with each receiving $155 million.
The lawsuit, filed by Tyre’s family a month after his death, initially targeted ICON Park, the ride’s owner Eagle Drop Slingshot, and Funtime, the manufacturer of the ride.
Last year, Tyre’s family reached undisclosed settlements with the other two defendants.
Tyre’s family attorney, Ben Crump, expressed that the jury’s decision to award the family millions sends a clear message about the importance of safety over profits in amusement park operations.
Crump stated, “This verdict is a step forward in holding corporations accountable for the safety of their products. The jury’s decision confirms what we have long argued: Tyre’s death was the result of blatant negligence and a failure to prioritize safety over profits.”
The incident that led to Tyre’s death occurred when he fell from the FreeFall ride, a 430-foot tower with no seatbelts. At the time, Tyre weighed 383 pounds, nearly 100 pounds over the ride’s weight limit of 285 pounds. In the wake of his death, the FreeFall ride was dismantled, and in March 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Tyre Sampson Act into law, aiming to strengthen amusement park safety regulations.
