Florida officials have determined that ride operator error led to Tyre Sampson’s tragic death.

As Blavity previously reported, the 14-year-old Missouri native passed away on Mar. 24 at ICON Park in Orlando, Florida. Sampson specifically slipped out of his shoulder harness while riding a 430-foot drop tower ride. He resultingly crashed into the concrete ground and was declared dead at a local hospital.

Once word of the tragedy — which was recorded — began circulating, people immediately began speculating about what could have caused the incident. One theory that floated around was that Sampson may have been too heavy for the ride, as he was over 300 lbs.

It’s also worth noting that the 75-mph ride was a seatbelt-free attraction that only used shoulder harnesses to ensure riders’ safety, calling the drop tower’s inherent safety into question.

However, news recently broke that ride operator error resulted in Sampson’s death.

A forensic engineering firm, Quest Engineering and Failure Analysis, Inc., found no evidence of “physical or mechanical failure.” Instead, the firm discovered the ride sensors had been “adjusted manually to double the size of the opening for restraints,” resulting in Sampson not being adequately secured.

Specifically, while the harness opening is typically supposed to be around 3.3 inches, Sampson’s opening was large as 7.1 inches. Investigators also found that one other seat on the ride had been manually adjusted.

Nikki Fried, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, spoke on the findings on Monday at a press conference.

“This report confirmed our department’s findings that an operator of the Orlando Drop Tower made manual adjustments to the ride, resulting in it being unsafe,” she said.

“These misadjustments allowed the safety lights to illuminate, improperly satisfying the ride’s electronic safety mechanisms that allowed the ride to operate even though Mr. Sampson was not properly secured,” Fried added.

Additionally, Fried noted that — while ride operator error was the leading cause of the incident — there are “many other potential contributing factors that may have played a role in the incident.”

The ride will remain “closed indefinitely,” and the investigation is ongoing.

 

Amusement Park RideBlavity-UBlavity-U-NewsInvestigationOrlando-Florida