A teenager who fell to his death from a 430ft high Florida theme park ride may have been to heavy to go on the attraction.
Tyre Sampson’s family say that the 6ft5 14-year-old weighed 340 pounds, while the maximum weight for the FreeFall ride at Orlando’s ICON Park was 287 pounds, according to its manual.
“Be careful when seeing if large guests fit into the seats. Check that they fit within the contours of the seat and that the bracket fits properly. If this is not so, do not let this person ride,” the manual reads.
The youngster was killed while visiting Florida on a spring break trip with his football team from St Louis, Missouri.
His father, Yarnell Sampson, told the MailOnline that his son was “a big guy” and had not been allowed on other rides at the park because of his size.
“This one particular ride said, ‘We can take you, come on! Get on!’ No one else allowed him to get on the ride, so I’m wondering what happened between now and then that made them say, ‘Come on, get this ride!’,” Mr Sampson told Fox35, last week.
Mr Sampson added that Sampson said his son was an aspiring football player who had a bright future.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the 24 March death and no criminal charges have yet been filed.
The ride, which only opened in December, remains closed as the investigation continues.
An incident report, sent from the ride manufacturers to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stated that the “harness was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped” and that Sampson came out of his seat, according to CNN.
The report states that Sampson came out of his seat when the magnets engaged to slow the ride down during its descent, according to the news network.
“We are not going to jump to any conclusions until the information is provided to us and all the facts are known,” said Nikki Fried, Commissioner of the FDACS.
