A 911 caller has claimed that the teenager who fell to his death from a free-fall ride at a Florida amusement park ride was not strapped in properly.
Tyre Sampson was just 14 years old when he lost his life in the tragic accident at ICON Park last Thursday (March 24).
Per Fox 35, eyewitnesses say they saw the teenager falling from the ride and plummeting to the ground as the ride dropped. Many were prompted to call emergency services as the tragedy unfolded before their eyes.
In one call, the witness claims that Tyre was not correctly strapped in, saying: "I don't know from where he fell. They didn't secure the seatbelt on him."
In another, the caller describes the teenager's body when it hit the ground."They're saying he's breathing, but he's not responsive. Looks like his arms are broken and his legs," he says, adding: "He's face down, there's blood everywhere. He's not breathing. I've checked his pulse, there's no pulse."
The Orlando Free Fall attraction which Tyre fell from opened in December. Billed as the world's tallest free-standing drop tower, the ride elevates up to 30 guests into the air then drops 400 feet at 70 mph, per Fox 35.
Ride owners SlingShot Group say they do not know what went wrong for Tyre to fall out. Spokesperson John Stine told CBS News: "The way the ride is designed, with all the safety features and redundancy, there shouldn't be an issue."
Meanwhile, the teen's dad, Yarnell Sampson, gave a heartbreaking account to Fox 35 of his son's final moments. Originally from Missouri, Tyre was on vacation with friends when he visited the park. But according to his dad, he didn't feel comfortable on the ride from the start.
"He was panicking when he was going up," he said, adding: "That's when he started freaking out, and he was explaining to his friend next to him, 'I don't know man. If I don't make it down, please tell my mom and daddy I love them.'"
The grieving parent went on to say that: "This should never happen to anyone else's child ever again, and if I have anything to do with this, it will not happen ever again."
ICON Park said in a statement that "Our heartfelt thoughts are with [Tyre's] family and friends," adding: "We are in close coordination and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement and regulators regarding our tenant, the SlingShot Group."
