(Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Tyre Sampson was on spring break in Orlando when he fell about 100 feet from a drop tower ride. It was March 2022. He was 14 and visiting ICON Park with his football team. A month after the teen’s death, his family sued ICON, the ride’s owner, Eagle Drop Slingshot, and the manufacturer of the ride, Funtime Handels GmbH, per NBC News.
As of Thursday (Dec. 5), Tyre Sampson’s parents are millionaires from their settlement with Funtime. A Florida jury reportedly awarded the family $310 million after a speedy trial. Last year, Tyre’s parents also settled with the two other defendants for undisclosed amounts. The latest award will be split evenly between Tyre’s mother and father at $155 million each.
Family attorney Ben Crump said the Funtime settlement is a “step forward” in holding these types of entertainment corporations accountable.
“This verdict is a step forward in holding corporations accountable for the safety of their products,” Crump’s statememt reportedly said. “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 lawsuit went through a civil trial, and a jury in Orange County awarded the millions after about an hour of deliberating. Jury selection also happened on Thursday. Funtime Handels GmbH is based in Austria.
At the time of Tyre Sampson’s fatal fall, the teenager was 383 pounds, which was almost 100 pounds over the amusement ride’s 285-pound limit. Additionally, the ride had no seatbelts.
Within a year of Tyre’s death, on March 14, 2023, cranes dismantled the FreeFall ride at ICON Park. The tower ride featured a 430-foot drop. A few months later, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Tyre Sampson Act into law to strengthen the safety standards required of amusement parks. In Orlando alone, there are reportedly more than 18 similar entertainment spots.
