ORLANDO, Fla. — The family of the 14-year-old boy who fell to his death while on the Orlando 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 as the ride braked, 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.’”
Spokespeople for ICON Park and SlingShot Group, which owns the Orlando Free Fall and other attractions, didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment. On Friday night, ICON Park addressed the incident on its social media pages.
“Tonight, the ICON Park family is grieving because of the tragedy involving Tyre Sampson. Our heartfelt thoughts are with his family and friends,” the statement read.
It continued, “We are in close coordination and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and regulators regarding our tenant, the SlingShot Group.”
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 viral video of the incident also showed some riders were concerned the ride didn’t have seat belts along with the shoulder restraints meant to protect them.
By Saturday, a small makeshift memorial with flowers, footballs and a picture of Tyre grew with people coming to pay their respects.
Ride safety expert and University of Florida lecturer Brian Avery told the Orlando Sentinel on Friday that seat belts are often added to rides as “secondary fail-safe mechanisms” in case the over-the-shoulder harnesses fail.
Ken Martin, a ride safety expert who spoke with Sentinel news partner Spectrum News 13, said the lack of national oversight for amusement park rides is “like the fox guarding the henhouse,” though he believes Florida has “very good” ride inspection rules compared to other states.
Currently, 13 states don’t have ride regulations at all, the TV station reported.
The ride, which opened Dec. 28, is 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.
As of Saturday, a press release announcing the ride’s opening has been scrubbed from the ICON Park website.
Loved ones described Tyre as a gentle giant with dreams of making it to the NFL. At 6 feet, 5 inches tall, and more than 300 pounds, the 14-year-old was set to be an offensive lineman at East St. Louis High School next school year.
Nicknamed Big Tick, he also played for the nationally ranked Bad Boyz Football team, which posted a tribute to him on its Instagram page.
“NEVER GONE FORGET YOU KID!!!” the post read.
Sampson, Tyre’s father, described his son to CNN as “a big teddy bear.”
“I want to know what really happened. You know what, you know, why a 14-year-old young man with a bright future has been taken away from us,” Sampson told the network.
Attempts to reach Sampson and Dodd by phone and through their lawyers Saturday were unsuccessful, but Hilliard told ABC News the family’s legal team is exploring whether Tyre’s size played a role in his death.
“This young man, he was athletic and he was big. He had no way of knowing,” Hilliard said. “This is going to be an issue of a lack of supervision and lack of training. A straight-up negligence case.”
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