ICON Park death: Family says 14-year-old should have been turned away from ride

2022-06-25 03:30:57 By : Ms. Jenny Zhan

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At ICON Park, a new fence has been installed around the Free Fall ride where a 14-year-old boy died after slipping from his seat to the ground below.

The seats of the ride are now behind this black cover, making it harder to see them from the ground level. Tyre Sampson's family is continuing the fight to get the Free Fall shut down for good.

Related: Man who filmed teen’s deadly fall from Free Fall describes horrific ICON Park accident

On Tuesday morning, the seats were lowered to ground level. One seat, No. 27, was covered by black plastic, appearing to be broken.

The fencing crew put up black mesh, obscuring the view, from people gathered around to add to the memorial for the 14-year-old and sign a petition to get the ride closed permanently.

Sampson’s cousin, who did not want to give her name, said his parents know they have support.

"They're seeing the love that he's getting," she said.

The family said Sampson tried to ride the Slingshot and the Starflyer, and was told he was too big for both. He was also too heavy for Free Fall, according to its operations manual so they don’t understand why he was allowed on.

"I would rather you tell him not to get on and hurt his little feelings — and, see, his life would be still here," she said.

ICON Park said it has ordered the Slingshot group, which owns Free Fall and the Slingshot, to shut down both rides until they can be proven safe.

No matter what the investigation finds, Sampson’s cousin said the ride should never be allowed to operate again.

"The worst thing that I don’t to happen is someone getting on the ride saying, 'Oh, this is the seat that the young man died in,'" she said.

Sampson's family and supporters are planning a protest walk starting in front of the Free Fall at 6 p.m.

RELATED: Deadly ICON Park accident: Investigation into Free Fall reveals ride lacks seatbelts, has unique safety measures

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