ORLANDO, Fla. — "It is about the legacy of Tyre Sampson and making sure that we can get change, positive change, where no other family will have to suffer such a senseless, unnecessary loss," Ben Crump, the attorney for the father of Tyre, said during a news conference in Orlando Tuesday afternoon. 

The 14-year-old boy died on March 24 after falling from the 430-foot Orlando FreeFall ride operated by The Slingshot Group at ICON Park. 

His father, Yarnell Sampson, and Crump were joined by Texas Attorney Bob Hilliard and State Rep. Geraldine Thompson in Orlando in speaking out about the wrongful death lawsuit the family filed Monday afternoon. 

During the news conference, Sampson said that he would like to see the ride to come down. 

Referring to his son's memorial, he said, "It's getting bigger and bigger and bigger, and hopefully it gets so big to the point that they tear that ride down."

The 60-plus page lawsuit filed in Orange County alleges negligence against ICON Park, the Slingshot Group and its associated companies, the manufacturers, and the contractors.

Crump claimed the the reason Tyre was killed is because corporations put profit over safety and said amusement parks that advertise to children should have an obligation to protect children. 

Hilliard stressed during the news conference how parents are supposed to trust that their kids will be safe while going on these rides.

Among the allegations, the lawsuit claims officials with The Slingshot Group knew that the ride was not safe and did not have proper signage posted to warn people about the potential dangers, or signs about weight and height requirements.

According to the attorney for Tyre's mother, Mike Haggard, the tragedy could have been avoided with a simple $22 seat belt, claiming the ride was flawed from its inception.

“This tragedy could have been avoided with one thing, avoided, simply with a $22 seat belt if it was deployed as secondary restraint,” he said during a Tuesday morning news conference in St. Louis, Mo., with Nekia Dodd, Tyre's mother.

“The manufacturer designed a 430-foot free fall ride, one of the most dangerous in the world, and they designed it without a secondary restraint system, multiple seatbelts, to make sure that if something happened with the harness that the rider would be secure," Haggard told Spectrum News. 

Last week, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Nikki Fried announced primary findings in the investigation into Sampson’s death. That preliminary report detailing the circumstances surrounding the death of Sampson found the teen slipped from his seat on the Orlando FreeFall because someone manually adjusted a safety sensor.

According to the report, the sensor adjustment allowed the shoulder harness to remain open much wider than the other seats — with the exception of one that also appeared to have been adjusted in a similar way.

The attorneys are investigating who chose to mis-adjust two seats to allow for larger harness openings — and why.

"We don't know how far up the approval went for the adjustment of the seat," Hilliard said. “I promise you it wasn't the minimum wage, teenage operator that was just there to earn a few bucks during spring break…It was someone that was in a position of authority that decided there's enough larger customers to where they could make more money if they allowed them a special seat without any safety protocols.”

"We're gonna make sure that every single defendant that caused this will be brought to justice," he added.

Thompson said she is looking at legislative options to require more frequent inspections of rides, more focus on safety training, and for the state to be notified any time an adjustment is made so another inspection can happen. 

Both Sampson and Dodd, along with their attorneys, are hoping to change amusement ride regulations across the country.

“This needs to be done in the open, all of the documents, all of the sworn testimony needs to be seen by not just the public but by congressional regulators but the consumer product safety commission so that we can get standards across the country with double restraint systems that will protect not only children but everyone who gets on these rides," Haggard said. "If they are allowed to continue, that’s what the mother of Tyre Sampson wants to result from his death, have his legacy be safer rides in this country."

The family said they don't want to see the ride operating again and are seeking an unspecified amount of damages and a jury trial.

FATHER SPEAKS OUT

Paying respects to his son and visiting the area where Tyre died for the first time, Sampson called his son a warrior, an intellectual, a five-star athlete, a 4.0 student, and a gentle giant. 

Sampson said he's speaking up to help make a change, saying there should be safety over profit. 

"The narrative is Tyre, justice for Tyre," he said. 

Sampson told the Today Show that the family is dealing with Tyre's death “day-by-day, second-by-second, minute-by-minute." He said they hope legal action can create change in the industry so no other parent suffers.

MOTHER SPEAKS OUT

Wearing a T-shirt with a picture of Tyre, also known as "Big Tick," Nekia Dodd spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday morning at a press conference in St. Louis, where she expressed her hurt and frustration over what happened to her son. 

"It was gut wrenching," she said. 

Dodd said it was devastating to get the news over the phone and not be able to be there to comfort her son. 

Dodd told Good Morning America she believes her son's death could have been prevented.

“This could’ve been prevented ... it should’ve been prevented,” Dodd said. “So as an operator, you have a job to check those rides, you know. The video I saw, that was not done. And if it was done, it should’ve been done more than once, you know.”