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The seat of a Missouri teen who died after falling from a Florida amusement park ride was still locked after the ride came to a stop, authorities said.
Tyre Samson, 14, perished after he somehow slipped out of his seat on the 430-foot FreeFall ride during its 75-mph descent and plunged to the ground at ICON park, according to an accident report obtained by CNN.
“Harness was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped,” the Fair Rides division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stated, citing accounts from three park employees.
But Samson’s family — represented by attorney Benjamin Crump — are still asking if the teen, who weighed well over 300 pounds, should ever have been allowed on the ride in the first place.
“Be careful when seeing if large guests fit into the seats,” a manual for the attraction states. “Check that they fit within the contours of the seat and the bracket fits properly. If this is not so — Do not let this person ride.”
The guide also states a maximum allowable weight of 287 pounds.
Samson, a promising football player, was staying with the family of a friend during his doomed Florida visit.
Disturbing video of the accident posted online shows Samson hurtling from the ride as it slowed about two-thirds of the way down.
His heartbroken father said he learned of his boy’s death after seeing the footage online.
“And the pain behind it could never be taken away — and sorry’s not gonna take it back and no monies, no nothing in the world to replace the young man,” Yarell Samson told WESH 2. “And it’s just sad, a young man’s bright future was taken away from him over a ride, an amusement park.”
“It felt like somebody hit me so hard in my stomach. I just lost, I lost, lost wind,” Sampson said of his son’s death.
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