ORLANDO, Fla. — The family of the 14-year-old boy who fell to his death while on the Free Fall ride at ICON Park late Thursday will be represented by civil rights lawyer Ben Crump and personal injury attorney Bob Hilliard, according to a press release.
Tyre Sampson, visiting from Missouri while on spring break, was on the ride when he appeared to slip out of his seat, falling to the ground as shocked patrons looked on, a video of the tragedy showed.
Crump, the Tallahassee-based attorney known for representing the families of Black men killed by law enforcement such as George Floyd, has been retained by Tyre’s father Yarnell Sampson.
“This family is shocked and heartbroken at the loss of their son,” Crump said in a statement. “This young man was the kind of son every parent hopes for — an honor roll student, an aspiring athlete and a kind-hearted person who cared about others. ... A fun theme park visit with his football team should not have ended in tragedy.”
Hilliard will represent Tyre’s mother Nekia Dodd, the press release said. Based in Texas, Hilliard is also representing the victims in last year’s deadly Travis Scott concert.
“Families have a right to expect these national theme parks, making millions of dollars, will keep their children safe and will put safety above all,” Hilliard said in a statement. “Every parent who sees this horrific video can’t help but think the same thing, ‘That could have been my child.’”
Deputies were called to the attraction at 8433 International Drive shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday, taking Tyre to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children where he was pronounced dead, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.
The ride, which opened in December, will be closed as the sheriff’s office and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that monitors rides at small amusement parks, investigate.
Thirty riders sit in the ride as it rises to the top, rotates around the tower, then tilts at 30 degrees to face the ground before a brief moment of free falling, Ritchie Armstrong, CEO of Slingshot Group, told the Orlando Sentinel in January, shortly after opening the attraction.
“It falls down free, detached from the tower, reaching speeds of up to 75 miles per hour before this beautiful magnetic braking system gives them a nice, smooth, slow stop, straight back down to the ground,” Armstrong said.
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