The mother of a Missouri teen who died last year after slipping off a free-fall ride at a Florida amusement park has reached a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit, NBC News reports.
Tyre Sampson, who was traveling with his football team to Orlando for spring break, passed away on March 24, 2022, after he fell out of his seat on a 400-foot-tall ride at Icon Park. A wrongful death complaint was filed one month after his passing, claiming that the 14-year-old fell from the ride—which lacked seat belts—at least 100 feet into the rough pavement.
Nekia Dodd, Tyre’s mother, went to the theme park on Wednesday for the first time since her son’s passing as the ride began to be dismantled.
“Came down today; it’s my first time in Florida. I hate that I had to come down under these circumstances. It’s a bittersweet moment. The ride’s coming down, I’m thankful for that, but my son’s not coming back,” she said, according to NBC News.
“My son took his last breath on this ride. It’s heartbreaking. It’s devastating. It’s a feeling that I hope no parent will have to go through after this ride comes down,” she said, with Tyre’s sister and cousin by her side.
During a press conference, her attorney Michael Haggard said that Dodd had reached a settlement with Icon Park and the Orlando Eagle Drop Slingshot, the owner of the free-fall ride.
Terms of the settlement were not shared, but Dodd said she wants to use it to “keep my son’s legacy alive” by giving back to community sports and schools.
Despite the settlement with the park and ride operator, Haggard asserts that the case against the ride’s manufacturer continues.
“The case is not over. This death trap was made by FunTime, who resides out of Austria, who is not under the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission jurisdiction, is not under the jurisdiction of the U.S., except for in this court case,” Haggard said.
Icon Park said in a statement: “With the utmost respect to the family, we defer any questions on this matter to the family.” Additionally, the amusement park said that it supports proposed legislation to make rider safety more robust and said it agrees with the ride owner’s decision to dismantle it.
Tyre’s passing drew national attention and renewed scrutiny of amusement park attractions and safety procedures.
The Tyre Sampson Act, a Florida bill aimed at protecting future amusement park visitors with stricter safety regulations, advanced after its first hearing on Monday.