Father of Florida teen who died in amusement park ride horror speaks out
The father of a 14-year-old who tragically fell to his death from an Orlando amusement park ride on Thursday is speaking out.
The father of a 14-year-old who tragically fell to his death from an Orlando amusement park ride on Thursday is speaking out.
Tyree Sampson was visiting Orlando's ICON Park on Thursday night from St. Louis, Missouri, with a football program when he unexpectedly fell off of the FreeFall ride while it was in motion.
Amusement park visitors were in shock after seeing a teenage boy die after falling off of one of the park's rides. (Fox 35)
"When the ride took off, that's when he was feeling uncomfortable. He was like, ‘This thing is moving.’ … That's when he started freaking out," the boy's father, Yarnell Sampson, told FOX 35 Orlando. "He was explaining to his friends next to him … ‘If I don’t make it down … please tell my mom and dad I love them.' For him to say something like that, he must've felt something."
He added that "this should never happen" to another child "ever again."
The 14-year-old "had a bright future," his father said. He was an "honor-roll student" and wanted to play in the NFL.
Sampson was 6 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed 330 pounds, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Yarnell Sampson also told FOX 35 that it took 10 minutes for an ambulance to arrive at the scene of the accident after a 911 call was placed just before 11:15 p.m. ET. Authorities transported Tyree to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Tyree Sampson (FOX 35 Orlando)
His father said he plans to find out exactly what led to his son's horrifying death.
ICON Park said in a Friday statement that it is "in close coordination and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and regulators regarding our tenant, the SlingShot Group," which operates the FreeFall ride. The park said it would continue to share updates on its website.
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"We are heartbroken with the incident that took the life of one of our guests," the SlingShot Group said in a statement. "We extend our condolences and deepest sympathy to his family and friends. We are working with the Sheriff’s Office and ride officials on a full investigation. The Orlando FreeFall will be closed until further notice."
Fox News' Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
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