A 14-year-old boy died after falling from a ride Thursday at an amusement park in Orlando, Florida, sparking an investigation into the ride’s safety.
The unidentified boy was at ICON Park in Orlando on the Free Fall ride — a 430-foot tower marketed as the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower — at around 11:00 p.m. when he fell from the ride, reported WESH 2 News. He was rushed to the Arnold Palmer Hospital, where he died from his injuries, authorities told the outlet.
Slingshot Director of Marketing spoke with us a little while ago, saying the Free Fall will be closed at least for the day at Icon Park, as death investigation continues. He claims the 14 yo was secured in his seat during the ride @MyNews13
— Ashleigh Mills (@AshleighMNews) March 25, 2022
Director of sales and marketing for The Slingshot Group, John Stine, said keeping the ride safe is a top priority.
“We operate the ride with all the safety precautions in mind. Everything is in place. And this is why we’re doing this investigation. We are working with those people investigating at this point,” Stine, whose company is tasked with operating the Orlando Free Fall ride, told the outlet.
Stine said other attractions at ICON Park are planned to be open Friday, but that Free Fall will be shut down while investigations occur, reported WESH 2.
A viewer submission video showed the boy falling from the amusement park ride, which drops at about 75 miles per hour, reported Spectrum 13 News.
Stine was asked about a female rider, also featured in the view submission video, who asked the ride’s attendant about the lack of a lap area safety strap that clicks into place, reported Spectrum.
Also in the viewer submitted video to @MyNews13, a rider asks the operator why there’s no seatbelt that clicks in the lap area. There’s just a harness over the shoulders. The worker’s answer to her is unclear. But I took that question to Slingshot spokesperson. His answer (1/2)
— Ashleigh Mills (@AshleighMNews) March 25, 2022
“Our safety harness that goes over the chest of the rider is sufficient and obviously we’re gonna look into this further,” Stine told the outlet. “We’re going to work with all the authorities and that’s all we can share at this point.”
This is the second death at ICON Park in Orlando. A man named Jacob David Kaminsky was doing routine maintenance on the park’s StarFlyer attraction in 2020 when he fell to the bottom platform, reported WFTV 9.