Tyre Sampson’s family says teen was turned away from two other rides that night due to weight limit

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Update: The family of Tyre Sampson said they do not know Shay Johnson – a woman who has been identifying herself as Tyree’s cousin in the media. An investigation is pending and we have removed her name from the report.

The family of Tyre Sampson, the Missouri teen who died after falling from an amusement park ride in Florida, is speaking out about the tragic accident.

Family of Tyre Sampson questions FreeFall ride operators

Sampson’s family says the 14-year-old had been turned away from two other attractions the same night because of his weight.

They are now asking why attendants at the FreeFall ride at ICON Park in Orlando allowed him to get on the ride when he weighed about 50 pounds heavier than its published weight limit.

Relatives, including his Tyre’s father, Yarnell Sampson have said Tyre Sampson was about 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 340 pounds.

Weight capacity

On Monday, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services released documents related to its investigation of the accident, including the ride’s operations manual, which says 286.6 pounds is the maximum weight for each rider. It states that attendants need to pay particular attention to larger riders and turn them away if they don’t fit.

A state accident report released Monday  said the magnets that work to stop the ride engaged and that’s “when the patron came out of the seat,” the operator said, according to the report. “Harness was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped.”

When construction began on the FreeFall in 2019, it was billed as the tallest drop tower ride in the world, with a planned height of more than 400 feet.

Sampson’s family remembers teen

On Tuesday, the Sampson family and the community gathered at the park to light candles and drop balloons to honor the teen, who the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said was in Florida for a football camp over spring break.

A former coach, Arnaud Jones, described Tyre Sampson as a straight-A student who was never in trouble. “Yes sir, yes ma’am to everything,” he told KSDK of St. Louis.