The father of a teenager who died after falling from an Orlando amusement park ride has said he first learned of the tragedy through a viral video.
In the terrifying clip, 14-year-old Tyre Sampson can be seen plummeting to the ground after slipping out of a free-fall ride at ICON Park last week.
His dad Yarnell Sampson spoke to WESH 2 about the moment he saw the video on social media, telling the outlet: "It felt like somebody hit me so hard in my stomach. I just lost, I lost, lost wind."
"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," he added.
In the horrific clip, the 6'5'' teenager can be seen slipping out of his harness when the free-fall ride is halfway down its 430-foot descent. Following the tragedy, the ride will remain closed until authorities at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have further investigated how Trey fell from his seat.
Sampson went on to say that he is desperate for answers. "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.
The grieving father added that he wishes he could have been there for his son's final moments.
"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 said.
Ride owners SlingShot Group have claimed that, per safety precautions, the ride is only supposed to operate if all riders are secured in their seats.
"The way the ride is designed, with all the safety features and redundancy, there shouldn't be an issue," spokesperson John Stine told CBS News.
Meanwhile, the New York Post reports that Tyre's family has launched a new petition calling for the ride’s closure to be permanent.
