Dad of teen who died on Fla. ride says he found out online

Publish date: 2024-08-27

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The father of the 14-year-old boy who fell to his death from an Orlando amusement park ride said he only found out about the tragedy when he saw a video of the horrific incident online.

Yarnell Sampson said he was stunned to watch footage on social media of his son, Tyre, plummeting from the free-fall ride at ICON Park as it was about halfway down its 430-foot descent on Thursday. 

“It felt like somebody hit me so hard in my stomach. I just lost, I lost, lost wind,” Sampson told WESH 2.

“And the pain behind it could never be taken away — and sorry’s not gonna take it back and no monies, no nothing in the world to replace the young man. And it’s just sad, a young man’s bright future was taken away from him over a ride, an amusement park,” Sampson added.

The horrific video shows the boy slipping out of a harness and falling to the ground.

Yarell Sampson said he was stunned to watch footage on social media of his son. FOX35 Orlando
Tyre Sampson fell to his death from an Orlando amusement park ride. Facebook/Vanessa Rivera

The drop tower will remain closed as authorities investigate the fatal fall.

“I want to know what happened to my son. I want to know why my son is in a white bag, having to get shipped back home. He walked there. Why he can’t walk back? I want answers from everybody. Who all was involved in that?” he said.

Sampson said he’s struggling with the fact that he wasn’t there for his son’s final moments.

The family has launched a new petition calling for the ride’s closure to be permanent. Momandpaparazzi.com / SplashNews
Tyre Sampson plummeted from the free-fall ride as it was about halfway down its 430-foot descent. Facebook/LuAnne Sorrell FOX 35

“I wish I was there to tell him I love him, that I’m sorry. For him to lose his life. So young, and I wish it was me,” Sampson told WESH.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has declined to offer any new information about the incident and said the ride is being investigated by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Meanwhile, the family has launched a new petition calling for the ride’s closure to be permanent.

A crowd gathered outside Orlando’s Icon Park to honor Tyre Sampson. Momandpaparazzi.com / SplashNews
The drop tower will remain closed as authorities investigate the fatal fall.

They have also retained nationally known personal injury attorney Ben Crump, who has also repped the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Jacob Blake.

“This young man was the kind of son every parent hopes for – an honor roll student, an aspiring athlete, and a kind-hearted person who cared about others. Needless to say, his family is absolutely devastated. A fun theme park visit with his football team should not have ended in tragedy,” Crump said. 

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