They compensate the family of a teenager who died after falling 30 meters from an attraction with 294 million euros

The accident occurred on the Orlando FreeFall attraction, a 131-meter-high shuttle that lifts passengers before dropping them at 120 kilometers per hour. Sampson, who weighed 173 kilos, should never have ridden there, since exceeded the limit by more than 40 to go up, according to local media reports.

Despite far exceeding the 130 kilos that marked the limit for riding, the teenager was able to get on the attraction, where park employees had to adjust the seat to fit within the restraint devices. During the fall, Sampson slipped out of the shuttle harness -who did not have a seat belt- and hit the ground after falling 30 meters. Despite being taken to a nearby children’s hospital, he died from his injuries.

After the accident, the young man’s family filed a lawsuit for negligence against those responsible for the accident and targeted three entities: Funtime Handels GmbH, Austrian manufacturer of the attraction; Slingshot Group, owner and operator of the Orlando FreeFall, and ICON Park, where the tragedy occurred.

“Tyre’s death was the result of blatant negligence and failure to prioritize safety about the profits,” said the family’s lawyer, Ben Crump, and reported by the BBC. The damages were divided equally between the teenager’s mother and father, who filed the civil lawsuit in March 2022, a month after their son’s death.

Last year, they reached an agreement for an undisclosed amount with two other defendants: the owner of the attraction and the park.

The teenager’s death has prompted safety reforms in Florida, home to some of the world’s most famous amusement parks. In fact, the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, signed the tire simpson law in May 2023.