ORLANDO, Fla. — Owners of the Orlando FreeFall ride are disputing the state’s allegations that the company violated Florida laws and regulations about amusement ride safety after a 14-year-old boy fell from a 430-foot high drop tower ride to his death back in March.

The attraction at ICON Park has been closed since March, when 14-year-old Tyre Sampson died after falling from the ride about halfway down its drop. Some amusement ride industry experts said they do not think the state of Florida has enough regulatory oversight or control over the safety of these rides.

That is a sentiment the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has echoed, with Commissioner Nikki Fried recently saying that current state laws do not give the agency enough regulatory authority.

That is why she and State Sen. Geraldine Thompson say they want to see new legislation filed that would ramp up the state’s authority to regulate rides.

The proposed “Tyre Sampson Law” would include “a more all-encompassing definition of which ride modifications must legally be reported to the state.”

According to the state’s investigation, two seats on the drop tower ride had been manipulated to allow larger riders on board than for which attendants were trained.

A legal analyst was asked by Spectrum News whether that intentional act could potentially be a criminal charge.

“Well look, these cases come down, in some ways, to who knew what when, right?" said David Haas of Haas Law, PLLC. "I mean, there's gonna be obvious evidence that there was a mechanical manipulation of certain seats. Who knew about that, who directed it, who understood it was going on and tolerated it — those are all the questions that will get fleshed out.” 

According to the state’s investigative report, the owner of the entity that owns the ride, Ritchie Armstrong, claimed prior to the tragic accident, he did not know two of the ride’s seats had been manipulated to allow for larger riders.

During his deposition, he claimed he also did not know employees had been trained to direct larger guests to sit in those two manipulated seats. That is something Spectrum News 13 has also been able to confirm with the ride operator who was on duty that night.

According to the state’s investigation, two maintenance staff members who apparently approved the manipulation of those seats had been suspended with pay pending the conclusion of the state’s investigation. 

GrayRobinson, the attorneys for Orlando Slingshot, issued the following statement: 

“After Tyre’s tragic death, we learned of improper employee conduct and took immediate action to correct it, including disciplinary action and suspensions. We also promptly provided this information to all investigating parties. In order to ensure further safety improvements were made, we brought in two outside firms to improve our training, maintenance, and safety practices. We continue to voluntarily share all needed information with FDACS and the Sheriff’s Office. Also, we remain committed to take down the Freefall ride as soon as it is approved by all involved parties.”

An attorney representing Tyre’s mother, Nekia Dodd, said Friday that while their goal is to remove the FreeFall ride as quickly as possible, there is a chance that further inspections of the ride could still be necessary for the civil lawsuit filed by both of Tyre’s parents.