Teenager who died after falling from attraction in the US was over the weight limit

The 14-year-old teenager who died last March when he was thrown from a free fall tower at an Orlando amusement park, in downtown (Florida), weighed almost 45 kilos over the weight allowed to access, revealed this Monday the autopsy, reported local media

Tyre Sampsona native of Missouri, died after falling into the void on March 25 from the Orlando Free Fall attraction, a 131-meter-high tower with a free fall of more than 120 km / h located in the ICON Park, in the tourist district of Orlando.

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The autopsy performed on the body revealed that Sampson weighed 383 pounds (173 kilos) and was a little over 6 feet (1.83 meters) tall, when the instruction and use manual of the manufacturer of the attraction, Funtime Thrill Rides, indicates that the maximum weight allowed to climb this is 286 pounds (130 kilograms), collected the local channel WKMG TV.

The forensic doctor found that the body of the corpulent teenager had numerous fractures on the face, skull, ribs and legs, as well as lacerations on the face, stomach, arm and feet.

The autopsy report states that it was an accident and that Sampson died from “strong blow trauma.”

The minor’s family sued the park (ICON Park) that rents the space last April; the manufacturer, Funtime Thrill Rides, and the company that operates it, Slingshot Group.

The lawsuit alleges that the operators of the attraction should have known that the occupants of the attraction were exposed to “unreasonably dangerous and foreseeable risks that could result in serious injury and death.”

The same lawsuit states that the attraction did not have seat belts and that the manufacturer and operator did not ensure that notices about weight and height restrictions, among other points, were visible to the public.

At a press conference last April, Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried said the investigation report concluded that “the safety sensor in the seat was manually adjusted” to the boy’s large size, which which allowed the opening of the harness to be almost twice normal.

Everything seems to indicate that the operator of the attraction manually adjusted the opening of the harness and the sensor of the seat to allow the accommodation of the teenager, according to the investigation of the engineering firm Quest Engineering, of Tallahassee (Florida).

Orlando Free Fall has capacity for about 30 people, who are transported to the top of the tower and then released in a free fall of more than 75 miles per hour (120 km / h), according to the description on the website. from the park.

It was touted as the tallest free fall tower in the world.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.