ORLANDO, Fla. — A jury in Florida awarded the family of a 14-year-old boy who fell to his death from a ride at an Orlando amusement park, $310 million.
Tyre Sampson died on March 24, 2022, when he fell 70 feet from ICON Park’s Free Fall ride, The Associated Press reported.
ICON Park had already settled with the family. But on Thursday, the jury said that the maker of the ride, Funtime, which is based in Austria, had to pay $155 million to each of his parents.
Funtime did not appear in court to defend itself, the AP reported. It was considered a default case after the company’s attorneys stopped participating, WFTV reported. The wrongful death civil trial lasted only one day.
A judge had already determined that Funtime was liable for negligence in Sampson’s death, WFTV reported.
The family will have to get an Austrian court order to get the money they were awarded.
Sampson was 6 foot 2 inches tall and weighed 380 pounds. He was at the amusement park with friends from Missouri for spring break. The shoulder harness didn’t lock correctly due to Sampson’s size and he fell when the ride braked about 70 feet above ground. The ride only had the harness, no additional seatbelt, the AP reported.
His parents said that both the park and the manufacturer should have warned Sampson about the risk of riding it due to his size and that the restraint was not enough. The AP said that adding seat belts to the ride would have cost $660.
The ride was ordered closed after Sampson’s death and never reopened. It is now being torn down, the AP reported.
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