ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Attorneys for the family of Tyre Sampson, the 14-year-old who died after falling from the FreeFall ride at ICON Park, have filed a lawsuit in Orange County alleging negligence by several companies linked to the International Drive attraction.
Sampson, 14, died on March 24 after falling from the 430-foot Orlando FreeFall ride operated by the Slingshot Group at ICON Park.
A press conference is scheduled at 11:30a.m. on Tuesday in St. Louis with Sampson's mother, Nekia Dodd, and Michael Haggard from The Haggard Law Firm, the firm representing Dodd.
This will be the first time that Sampson's mother will speak publicly since her son died.
The 60-plus page lawsuit filed in Orange County alleges negligence against ICON Park, the Slingshot Group and its companies, the manufacturers and the contractors.
Among the allegations, the lawsuit goes so far as to say The Slingshot Group and companies knew that the ride was not safe and did not have proper signage posted warning people about the potential dangers or signs about weight and height requirements.
The defense has cast a pretty wide net of possibilities that could factor into what led up to Sampson’s death. At least 10 different companies are named in the lawsuit.
Just last week, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Comissioner Nikki Fried announced primary findings in the investigation into Sampson’s death. That preliminary report detailing the circumstances surrounding the death of Sampson concluded that the teen slipped from his seat on the Orlando FreeFall because someone manually adjusted a safety sensor.
Tyre Sampson by Deanna Gugel on Scribd