14-year-old Tyre Sampson falls to his death on ICON Park ride in Orlando

12-Year-Old Tyre Sampson Falls To His Death On Ride At Orlando’s ICON Park

Source: D-Keine / Getty

First and foremost before we even get into the reporting of this story, our sincerest thoughts and prayers go out to this young man’s family. We can’t even begin to imagine the grief that they are feeling right now. If anyone who knew Tyre Sampson is reading this, we hope you find some measure of strength through our words.

According to Fox35 Orlando, the 14-year-old boy fell to his death while aboard a ride at ICON Park in Orlando, Florida. Following the accident, he was transported to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

“It appears to be a terrible tragedy,” Orange County Sheriff John Mina said during a news conference on Friday, but says the investigation is still open. “Our prayers and thoughts are with the family,” he said.

Tyre was visiting Florida from Missouri with his family. According to DailyMail, a photograph of Tyre (wearing all black on the far right side) was taken prior to the free-fall ride lifting off and you can clearly see that he was not securely buckled in.

It hasn’t been determined if a crew member came to secure his harness prior to starting the ride. If you watch the video in the last slide of that Instagram post, at the very end, you will hear an employee asking if someone’s seatbelt is fastened but you can’t see if he is referring to Tyre or someone else although the orientation would suggest it is very possible.

Rest in peace Tyre Sampson.