Dollywood is closing Tower Ride, owned by the same company as Orlando FreeFall, after the tragic death of a teenager
- Dollywood is closing one of their tower rides made by the same manufacturer as the Orlando FreeFall ride in Orlando
- On Thursday night, Tire Sampson fell from the FreeFall ride at Orlando’s ICON Park — a 430-foot-tall amusement ride, according to the attraction
- The ride is operated by the SlingShot Group of Companies
- A Dollywood spokesman said their Drop Line ride was being closed “as a precaution”.
- Tire, from Missouri, died after slipping out of his seat around 11 p.m. on the Orlando Free Fall ride at ICON Park
- He was on vacation with his friend’s family, who watched helplessly as he fell to the ground as the ride plummeted at 75mph
- No criminal charges have been filed, but a lawsuit alleging negligence or wrongful death or both seems likely
Dollywood is set to close a tower ride made by the same manufacturer as the Orlando FreeFall ride after a 14-year-old boy fell off the ride in Florida and fell to his death.
On Thursday night, Tire Sampson fell from the FreeFall ride at Orlando’s ICON Park — a 430-foot-tall amusement ride, according to the attraction.
The ride is operated by the SlingShot Group of Companies.
A Dollywood spokesman said his “drop line” ride at the park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is being closed “out of caution,” according to WATE.
“Dollywood is closing Tower Ride, made by the same company as Orlando FreeFall, after the tragic death of a teenager. Although Dollywood does not have the specific ride involved in this tragic incident, the safety of our guests is our top priority.’
Scroll down for videos
Pictured: Tire Sampson, 14, fell from the FreeFall ride at ICON Park in Orlando on Thursday night — a 430-foot-tall amusement ride
Pictured: Dollywood Dropline in Tennessee, which was closed in response to a ride by the same manufacturer in Orlando after a teenager died on the ride
“As a precaution and until more details are known about the accident at ICON Park, we have temporarily closed Drop Line, our drop tower ride developed by the same manufacturer,” the spokesman said.
Tire, from Missouri, died after slipping out of his seat around 11 p.m. on the Orlando Free Fall ride at ICON Park.
He was on vacation with his friend’s family, who watched helplessly as he fell to the ground as the ride plummeted at 75mph. He was named by police at a news conference on Friday.
A photo of Tyrus, taken before the ride blew up, shows him seated with his seatbelt unbuckled and not pulled down to secure himself to his seat.
It’s unclear if the harness was fully buckled before the ride got airborne, or if the tour operator checked he was buckled up securely.
An investigation of the park is now underway. At a news conference on Friday, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said: “It just seems like a terrible tragedy. We’ll see what comes of it.’
Tire and the rest of the group had been told shortly before that there were no seat belts on the ride. The only thing keeping them from falling out of their seats were pull-down plastic harnesses designed to buckle between the drivers’ legs.
Tires, pictured, and the rest of the group had been told shortly before that there were no seat belts on the ride
Dollywood entrance tour on October 18, 2016 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Pictured: The ride at Orlando’s Icon Park, where a 14-year-old boy died after falling to his death from a 430-foot freestanding tower
Concerned that there was nothing left to hold her in the seats as the ride descended, one woman asked if there was a seat belt to keep her restrained.
“There are no seat belts,” the driver replied.
The Daily Mail had previously reported that an 911 call revealed park attendants hadn’t fastened Tyre’s seat belt properly, with the teenager’s father saying his son knew something was wrong climbing up while driving.
No criminal charges have been filed, but a lawsuit alleging negligence or wrongful death or both seems likely.
Attorneys Ben Crump and Bob Hilliard were both hired to represent the family.
advertisement