ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s a moment family members of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson have been calling for since his tragic death while riding the Orlando FreeFall.
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The process of taking down the International Drive attraction he fell from has begun.
Sampson fell from the ride while on Spring Break in Orlando last March. The family said they’re relieved this process has begun. Attorneys representing his mother said it’s a long time coming.
On Tuesday, workers could be seen at the top of the ride, as well as new tarp put around the ride itself.
READ: ‘Tyre Sampson’ bills fix ride safety oversights but keeps records hidden longer
SlingShot Group said next week there will be a crane brought in, and that’ll really speed up the process of taking the ride down.
“We are really pleased to hear that the ride is finally being taken down,” said Kim Wald, the attorney representing Sampson’s mother.
In the month’s after Sampson’s death, the state opened an investigation into what happened. The ride’s owner and operator, Orlando Eagle Drop, was officially blamed.
READ: Orlando FreeFall ride owner reaches settlement with state after Tyre Sampson’s death
Last month, a settlement agreement was reached by the state and the ride’s owner, stating they would pay a $250,000 find and would never again operate the drop tower in the state.
“We’re not done here, and we’re not going to stop until everyone is held accountable,” Wald said. “And until we really make meaningful change in amusement park safety.”
Sampson’s family said they want to see a bill introduced by Florida Sen. Geraldine Thompson become a law that would require surprise ride inspections, better documentation of ride modifications and new training procedures, among other things.
READ: Tyre Sampson’s family: Removing FreeFall ride a small victory that could lead to laws changed
The family said they want to expand protections like the ones in the bill to the rest of the country.
In a prepared statement Trevor Arnold, the attorney representing Orlando SlingShot said:
“We have retained a long-time amusement park company, Ride Entertainment, to coordinate the deconstruction of the FreeFall ride. As part of their process, we expect a crane to arrive next week (week of March 13th) to begin the deconstruction process. That activity is expected to continue into the following week because of the large size of the ride. We hope to have the ride fully deconstructed before the anniversary of Tyre Sampson’s tragic death, and we will continue to work in that direction and give timeline updates as they are available.”
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