The head of the Florida agency tasked with investigating whether there were security failures when a boy died last week during a ride at an Orlando theme park on Friday admitted there is no direct control over what thrill-game manufacturers put in their manuals that safety measures dictate.
Nikki Fried, commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, spoke during a news conference Friday about the investigation into the death of 14-year-old Missouri boy Tyre Sampson, who fell from a free-fall attraction at ICON Park on March 24.
When a reporter asked Fried to clarify that no federal or state agency oversees what manufacturers put in their ride brochures, she said, “That’s right.”
“There is no oversight board saying that. However, according to our laws, every flight needs to have affidavit from an engineer, and engineering firms sign the affidavit…protocols for every aspect of the flight, making sure it is safe. So we have to make sure that That when we let a flight open, we received those documents in both the manufacturers and from an expert engineer who performed all the necessary tests … and that is what we have to rely on.” Fred also said that the agency has hired Quest Engineering and Failure Analysis Inc. , a forensic engineering firm based in Tallahassee, to assist with the investigation.
Farid said there were no immediate answers as to whether there were any security failures prior to the boy’s death.
“We don’t take this lightly,” she said. “We’re going to do everything we can, including, probably, increasing our strength, to make sure something like this never happens again.” “We are fully committed to finding out what happened so that we can better prevent such tragedies from happening in the future.”
Orange County Sheriff John W. Mina said during a news conference last week that the incident appeared to be accidental.
“It appears to be a terrible tragedy,” the sheriff said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” he said. “We can’t imagine what they are going through.”
State Department of Agriculture officials said the free-fall flight was first inspected on December 20. No deficiencies were found and the flight passed inspection, officials said. Because Free Fall is a new ride, and the agency conducts safety inspections twice a year, no additional inspections occurred on it prior to the teen’s death, officials said.
On Monday, the Department of Agriculture released documents relating to its investigations, including its Riding Operations Manual, which says 286.6 pounds is the maximum weight for each rider. It states that attendants need to pay special attention to large passengers and turn them away if they are not fit.
State accident report said that Magnets stop the ride and that “when the magnets engaged, the shepherd came out of the seat.” The report stated that “the belt was still in the falling position and closed when the ride was stopped.”
When construction began in free fall in 2019, it was described as the tallest tower in the worldwith a planned elevation of more than 400 feet.
On Tuesday, the owner of Free Fall and another ride in the park, Slingshot, said that both are closed.
“We have suspended FreeFall and Slingshot rides at Icon Park,” Slingshot Group CEO Richie Armstrong said in a statement.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of Tyre Sampson and utterly devastated his family and loved ones,” Armstrong said. “We are fully cooperating with the state and local authorities investigating this tragic incident.”
Tyre’s uncle, Carl Sampson, told NBC News that his nephew was in Florida with his football teammates during spring break.
“He was a really good kid. Really respectful. He was always, ‘No, sir.'” Yes sir. “…He had a bright future ahead of him. He was very smart.”
Sampson said his nephew was excited to be in Florida and was a fan of the theme parks. “It’s hard to believe. He was only 14 years old. It was so tragic that it happened. He was so young.”
His former coach, Arno Jones, described him as a graded student who wasn’t in any trouble, according to NBC affiliate KSDK Saint Louis.
The owner and flight operator said the boy was secured in a seat belt, but the ride lacked seat belts, which State Representative Geraldine Thompson said Friday, who spoke during the briefing. Thompson components include Orlando residents.
“Based on the investigation, we may be looking at seat belts,” Thompson said.
You mentioned how cars have seat belts and airbags.
“Repetition is a good thing,” Thompson said. “It may be that the investigation will indicate that not only the harness, but additional protection, which would have been a seat belt, would have saved Tyre’s life.”
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