‘Miscorrect’ operators made Florida rides where the teen fell to his death unsafe, officials say

Officials said Monday that the operator made a “misalignment” during a trip to an amusement park in Orlando, Florida, that contributed to a teenager slipping out of his seat and falling to his death. last month.

Tire Sampson, 14, of Missouri, was killed March 24 after plunging from the Free Fall attraction at ICON Park, officials said.

Nikki Fried, commissioner of the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, on Monday said a forensic engineering firm had determined that the ride operator “made manual adjustments to the the trip resulted in it being unsafe.”

“Manual adjustments have been made to the sensor for the seat in question allowing for a seat belt opening that is almost twice that of a conventional seat belt,” Fried said at a press conference. news conference.

“These misalignments allowed the safety lights to fail to illuminate improperly, responding to the vehicle’s electronic safety mechanism allowing the ride to operate even though Mr Sampson was never properly fixed to the seat.”

Determining if operator error is a factor is just the beginning of the investigation, Fried said, noting that many other factors could be contributing. The investigation is still ongoing, she said.

A representative for Orlando Eagle Drop Slingshot LLC, which owns Free Fall, was not immediately available for comment.

A field report from Quest Engineering and Failure Analysis Inc., based in Tallahassee, said the Tire slipped through a gap between the seat and the shoulder harness lowered the rider’s torso.

The report said there were no mechanical failures; Instead, the evidence shows tightening the screws, then loosening and moving the sensors to a new location on his driver’s seat. The engineering firm also found that out of the 30 seats on the ride, 27 had an average bar clearance of 3.33 inches, however, two seats had more than 6.5 inches of brake clearance, including the seat where the Tires, are 7.19 inches.

“Effectively restrained openings will expand by several inches when forced,” the report said. “During our investigation, two individuals were positioned on a chair with a gap of 6 to 10 inches. Both individuals were able to slide through the locking hole without any assistance. . These two individuals are 6’3 to 6’5 tall and weigh between 200 and 300 pounds,” the report said.

Officials call the Free Fall trip a “Immediate serious danger to public health” in an order released to the public earlier this month.

The order officially closed the ride on March 25, a day after the teen fell to his death in a drop tower-style ride to the horror of onlookers.

When it opened, Free Fall’s nearly 400-foot drop was considered the highest in the world. Officials said the vehicle was first inspected on December 20. No deficiencies were detected and the vehicle was inspected.

Photos and videos posted online clearly show Tire – who is over 6.5 feet tall – not wearing a seat belt while in the car, with the seat belt on top of other drivers.

In video of the incident obtained by NBC News, a posed voice asks, “Why doesn’t this have a little click, like seat belts?”

As the train took off, a voice from the ground said: “Hey, have you checked your left seat belt? Seat belt! Seat belt!”

Tire visited Florida for spring break with his soccer team. He is a straight A student who “has a bright future ahead of him” and never gets into trouble, his uncle Carl Sampson speak.

Michael Haggard, one of the attorneys for the Sampson family, told NBC affiliate Olrando’s WESH, that he’s focused on clearly having no legally mandated claims about the ride’s maximum rider weight.

The tire is said to weigh around 300 pounds. The ride’s maximum rider weight is about 285 pounds.

WESH reported that there is no maximum rider weight limit displayed anywhere on Free Fall signs – only the maximum height.

State Representative Geraldine Thompson, who spoke at a news conference on Monday, said it was important to determine when the adjustments were made and who authorized them. She said officials need to consider protective measures, such as additional checks, if adjustments to rides are made after the initial inspection.

She also said she understands that the two seats have been adjusted to accommodate heavier riders.

“What shouldn’t have happened, based on the manufacturer’s instructions,” Thompson said.

“My understanding is that adjustments have been made to seat one and seat two, so if you have an older person, they will be assigned to seat one and seat two.”

Thompson added that it’s important to wait and see what evidence is presented by the ride’s operators and its manufacturer.

There is no direct federal or state oversight of what thrill rides manufacturers put in their manuals to dictate safety measures, Florida officials said.

at Blogtuan.info – Source: nbcnews.com – Read the original article here