“He definitely wouldn’t have minded if they told him in a respectful way that he wasn’t allowed on the ride. That’s the responsibility of such an attraction. But when they tell him it’s safe, he trusts of course that they are experienced enough to estimate that,” lawyer Bob Hilliard told the local newspaper in an extensive interview news channel Fox35.
Hilliard, along with another attorney, was engaged by the family of 14-year-old Missouri Tire Samspon. They want to get to the bottom of how the boy fell from the ride.
Tyre was American football-speler
It happened Thursday evening at ICON Park in Orlando, USA. The boy was there for a training camp with his American football team. It was Tyre’s dream to become a professional and according to his family he was well on his way.
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Tire’s team went on several rides that day, but he himself was refused several times. He weighed 154 kilos and was 1.95 meters long. He was allowed to sit in the free fall tower.
Tower of 131 meters high
This attraction is 131 meters high, making it the highest in the world. Thirty people can enter at the same time and visitors go up while spinning, after which they hang forward for a moment and then race down in a free fall of 120 kilometers per hour. But it went terribly wrong on Thursday.
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Tire fell from his seat shortly after the ride made its downward flight. He was taken to a hospital, but help was of no avail. Tire’s parents are still heartbroken, says lawyer Hilliard. “Words cannot describe how much this hurts.”
‘In panic when attraction started’
The parents want to know if the ride’s employees were negligent: was it safe enough for Tire to take a seat? Of course they also want to know whether other factors played a role in the accident.
For example, images are also circulating on social media in which the question is raised whether Tire was properly secured. Besides that the father of Tyre . said in an earlier interview already that his son would have been ‘paniced’ when the attraction went up. “He said to his friend next to him: If I don’t make it, please tell my mother and father that I love them.”
The amusement park has stated in a response that it is fully cooperating with the investigation. The attraction is closed indefinitely.
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