(DailyAnswer.org) – The parents of Tyre Sampson, a 14-year-old boy who tragically died after falling from an amusement park ride in Florida, have been awarded $310 million by the ride’s Austrian manufacturer, attorneys announced.
Tyre, a Missouri native and high school football player, was on a spring break trip to Orlando’s ICON Park in 2022 when he fell over 200 feet from the Orlando FreeFall, a towering 430-foot drop ride. According to reports, Tyre was nearly 100 pounds over the ride’s 285-pound weight limit. Despite this, park staff manually adjusted his seat and allowed him to ride, leading to the fatal incident.
On Thursday, a Florida jury awarded the payout to Tyre’s mother, Mekia Dodd, and father, Yarnell Sampson, during a court session that the Austrian manufacturer, Funtime Handels GmbH, did not attend.
Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented the family, praised the verdict as a victory for safety accountability. “This decision sends a strong message to corporations that safety must come before profits,” Crump said in a statement. “Tyre’s death was entirely preventable.”
The family had already reached a settlement with ICON Park and the ride’s operator, Slingshot Group, in March 2023 for an undisclosed sum. However, Funtime’s absence from the court proceedings angered Tyre’s parents.
“I wanted them to face me and apologize,” Dodd told reporters. “Instead, they stayed silent and distant.”
Tyre’s father, Yarnell, expressed his heartbreak outside the courtroom. “No amount of money will ever make this right,” he said through tears. “It might cover up the wound, but it won’t heal it.”
If Funtime refuses to pay the awarded sum, they could face fines and lose their ability to operate in the United States. Family attorney Michael Haggard emphasized that federal agencies could intervene, saying, “If they want to do business here, they need to respect our legal system.”
The tragedy has sparked broader safety reforms. Florida lawmakers passed the Tyre Sampson Act in 2023 to improve amusement park ride safety. Now, Tyre’s parents are pushing for the law to become federal, hoping to prevent future tragedies.
In March 2023, Dodd attended the demolition of the Orlando FreeFall. “I had to be there,” she said. “I wasn’t there when he died, but I needed to see this chapter closed.”
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