Autopsy: Tyre Sampson, 14, died of blunt trauma in Florida drop-tower ride death

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — An autopsy says a Missouri teenager died of blunt force trauma after falling from a 430-foot Florida drop-tower amusement park ride.

The report Monday by the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office also ruled that 14-year-old Tyre Sampson’s death in March was an accident.

Sampson slipped out of his seat about halfway down the Free Fall ride located in a tourist area of Orlando. Sampson was there with a friend’s family for vacation.

The autopsy also showed that Sampson, who played football in the St. Louis area, weighed 383 pounds when he died.

An initial probe found sensors were adjusted manually to double the size of restraints on his seat.

Sampson’s parents sued the ride’s owner, manufacturer and landlord in April, claiming they were negligent and failed to provide a safe amusement ride. They said in the lawsuit that their son was not warned about the risks of someone of his size going on the ride and was not provided an appropriate restraint system.

While most free-fall rides have a shoulder harness and a seatbelt, the Orlando Free Fall ride had only an over-the-shoulder harness. Adding seatbelts to the ride’s 30 seats would have cost $660, the lawsuit said.