ICON Park death mystery as official report shows harness was still LOCKED when teen Tyre Sampson fatally fell from ride
THE seat of a teen who plunged to his death while on a free-fall ride at ICON Park was locked, an accident report reveals.
Tyre Sampson, 14, of Missouri, fatally fell off the FreeFall attraction in , Florida on Thursday.
An accident report, obtained by , revealed that the harness was locked when the drop ride came to a halt.
It stated: “Harness was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped.”
The Slingshot Group of Companies, which owns the ride, confirmed that Tyre was in a harness following the tragedy.
It comes amid pictures that appear to show Tyre sitting on the ride with the harness seemingly unbuckled and hanging over his shoulders.
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And, the teen’s dad Yarnell Sampson said his son knew his harness was not fitted correctly.
He told that the teen started to panic when he knew his restraint bar was moving as the ride took off.
Yarnell added: “That's when he started freaking out. And he was explaining to his friends, next to him, 'I don't know man, if I don't make it down, safely, can you please tell my mamma and daddy that I love them.
“For him to say something like that, he must have felt something.”
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Chilling calls claim that staff didn’t properly secure the seatbelt before Tyre’s tragic death.
In a harrowing exchange obtained by The Sun, a caller can be heard telling Fire Rescue units that the ride’s staff “didn’t secure the seatbelt on him.”
When the 911 dispatcher asks if Tyre was awake, the distraught caller graphically explains how the teen's "arms and feet are broken."
"Um, I'm not sure. They're saying he's breathing, but he's not responsive. Looks like his arms are broken and his legs."
The caller claims: "I don't know from where he fell. They [ICON park staff] didn't secure the seatbelt on him."
In a second heart-wrenching 911 call, the caller explained that Tyre "was gone."
They said: “The ride was going, and during the middle of the ride, the guy just came off.”
The caller said the teen was “face down and “not breathing”, adding there was blood “everywhere”.
HARROWING CALLS
Thrill-seekers asked workers about the seat belts before the ride started.
Tributes have been paid to Tyre – who dreamed of playing in the – following his death.
Football coach Brandon Gregory, thought to have been with Tyre on the night, wrote: "Get your rest kid. As a coach, you hate that phone call I received last night.
"Please keep his family and former/current teammates and coaches in prayer. He was getting away from St Louis to enjoy his Spring break. He was so happy."
Step-mum Wendy called him a respectful gentle giant, adding he will be truly missed.
Cousin Shay Johnson said she misses joking around with him, reported.
She claimed that he was not allowed on the park’s Star Flyer and SlingShot attractions because of his weight.
Thursday’s death was not the only tragedy to rock the theme park in recent years.
In 2020, worker Jacob Kaminsky fell backward while carrying out a safety check on the StarFlyer ride.
It stands at 450 feet and claims to be the world's tallest stand-alone swing ride.
He was climbing up the tower part of the ride as he carried out a safety check, according to the
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But, Kaminsky, who was described as a roller coaster enthusiast by pals, fell backward onto a platform below.
Cops estimated at the time that he fell between 50 and 60 feet.
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