Three hundred and ten million dollars has been granted to the family of Tyre Sampson, who was 14 years old when he passed away in 2022 after falling from a ride at an amusement park in Orlando, Florida.
On the 24th of March, 2022, Sampson, who was from St. Louis County, Missouri, was at ICON Park with his family when he fell from the FreeFall drop tower attraction. After being taken to a nearby hospital, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away there.
More than two years later, his family has been granted $310 million after winning a civil action against Funtime Handels, the Austrian company that manufactured the ride. According to local television stations WFTV and KSDK, the complaint was filed against Funtime Handels. Following about one hour of deliberation, the verdict was pronounced by the jury.
According to KSDK, a spokeswoman for Michael Haggard, one of the family’s attorneys, said that Sampson’s parents would each get a sum of $155 million.
On Thursday, December 5, family lawyers Ben Crump and Natalie Jackson also made the announcement of the prize on X, which was previously known as Twitter.
“This verdict is a step forward in holding corporations accountable for the safety of their products,” the lawyers stated in a statement at the time of the verdict’s announcement. “The jury’s decision confirms what we have long argued: Tyre’s loss was the result of blatant negligence and a failure to prioritize safety over profits.”
Additionally, they said in the statement that the makers of the ride “neglected their duty to protect passengers,” and the award ensures that they will “face the consequences of those decisions.”
Following the announcement, Crump and Jackson expressed their “hope” that the verdict “serves as a wake-up call for the entire industry” to implement “stricter safety measures.”
“Tyre’s legacy will be a safer future for riders everywhere,” the statement ended of the company’s history.
Sampson “came out” of his seat, according to an accident report that was previously made public by the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The report noted that the magnets for the ride “engaged” during descent. Sampson’s “harness was still in a down and locked position when the ride,” which featured a drop of 430 feet, came to an end, according to the report moreover.
Sampson passed away as a result of “multiple injuries and trauma.”
The amusement park issued a statement at the time stating that it will continue to “fully cooperate” with the police throughout the investigation.
A number of individuals attempted to get a remark from ICON Park on Thursday, December 5, but they did not get a response right away.