OVER GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT. JUST AHEAD, HOW THIS STARTED AND WHO POLICE ARE
LOOKING FOR RIGHT NOW. A
PRETTY GOOD PICTURE. BUT
FIRST, BREAKING TONIGHT,
LAWYERS SAY THEY’RE PLANNING
TO FILE A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE
OWNER OF A CENTRAL FLORIDA
AMUSEMENT PARK AFTER A TEEN
WAS KILLED THERE FALLING FROM
AN ORLANDO THRILL RIDE THE OF
ITS KIND IN THE WORLD RIGHT
NOW. STATE INVESTIGATORS STILL
TRYING TO FIND OUT HOW THAT
TEEN FELL OUT OF HIS SEAT.
GOOD EVENING TO YOU. I’M ERIK
VON ANCKEN. GLAD YOU’RE WITH
US TONIGHT. THIS IS THE FIRST
TIME LEGAL ACTION HAS BEEN
MENTIONED SINCE THE AWFUL
ACCIDENT THURSDAY NIGHT. IT
HAPPENED JUST AFTER 11:00PM AT
THE ORLANDO FREEFALL AT ICON
PARK. A 14 YEAR-OLD FELL FROM
HIS SEAT AS THE RIDE DROPPED
DOWN AND HE DIED. THE
SHERIFF’S OFFICE HAS
IDENTIFIED THAT YOUNG MAN AS
THAI RECEPTION FROM MISSOURI.
NOW, THE HIGH PROFILE
ATTORNEYS FOR THE TEENS,
FAMILIES SAY THAT THEY WILL
SUE THE OWNER OF ICON PARK.
>> WELL, THE WAY THE LAWSUIT
WORKS IS IS WE WILL FILE A
LAWSUIT AGAINST THE OWNER OF
THE PARK
>> AND AND THE
>> THERE’S A GROUP THAT THAT
OWNS ICON MUSE BEEN PARK ICON
PARK AND AFTER THAT LAWSUIT IS
FILED, WE WILL BE ALLOWED TO
DO WAS CALL DISCOVERY.
>> ERIK: FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF
THE 8TH GRADER DESCRIBED HIM
AS HUMBLE AND GENTLE WITH A
BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD OF HIM,
WE’RE TOLD SAMPSON WAS
VISITING ORLANDO WITH ANOTHER
FAMILY WHILE ON SPRING BREAK
RIDING THE FREE FALL
ATTRACTION THURSDAY NIGHT WITH
HIS BEST FRIEND JUST IN THE
PAST FEW HOURS. IT WAS NEWS
SIX’S CAROLINA CARDONA WHO
SPOKE WITH THE LAWYER FOR THAT
BOY’S FAMILY. WHAT ELSE DID HE
SAY?
>> ALL RIGHT, BOB HILLIARD,
ONE OF THE ATTORNEYS
REPRESENTING THE FAMILY TELLS
US THAT THEY ARE LOOKING AT
THE VIDEOS OF THAT NIGHT FROM
THE FALL AS PART OF THEIR
INVESTIGATION. HE ALSO TELLS
US THAT THEY’RE GOING TO BE
REQUESTING ALL OF THE
INFORMATION FROM THE RIDE BE
HANDED OVER TO THEM.
>> TONIGHT, ORLANDO’S ICON
PARK FREE. FULL RIDE REMAINS
CLOSED AS INVESTIGATORS
CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR ANSWERS
SURROUNDING THE DEATH OF
TYRESE, SAMPSON, THE FOCUS OF
THIS INVESTIGATION IS GOING TO
BE ON THE TRAINING OF THE
STAFF.
>> ON THE GROUND WHO WHO MAY
NOT HAVE SECURED TYREE.
>> BEFORE THE RIDE TOOK OFF,
INVESTIGATORS HAVE NOT
DETERMINED WHAT CAUSED SAMPSON
TO FALL OUT OF THE RIDE. BUT
IN VIRAL VIDEO THAT SHOWS
SAMPSON’S FALL AND IS TOO
GRAPHIC TO SHOW WORKERS CAN BE
HEARD IN THE MOMENTS AFTER
DISCUSSING SAFETY MEASURES.
>> ATTORNEY BOB HILLIARD, WHO IS REPRESENTING THE FAMILY, SPOKE WITH US ABOUT THE LEGAL
ACTIONS BEING TAKEN TO FIND
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
DEATH OF THE 14 YEAR-OLD BOY,
THE INVESTIGATION IS ALSO
GOING TO INCLUDE THE DESIGN OF
THE RIDE ITSELF.
>> THERE ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE
NO WAY A RIDE CAN LEAVE THE
GROUND. IF THERE IS ANY
INDICATION THAT ANY ONE OF THE
PASSENGERS IS NOT SECURED. THE
COMPANY THAT OPERATES THIS
RIGHTS AS WORKERS ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR CHECKING
LIGHTS ON THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM
TO ENSURE THEY ARE PROPERLY
SECURED. THE RIDE WILL NOT
SET.
>> UNLESS THOSE HARNESSES ARE
LOCKED IN. AND YEAH, AGAIN, SO
>> UNLESS THOSE HARNESSES ARE
LOCKED IN. AND YEAH, AGAIN, SO Greatness Lives Here. >> THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS
THAT THERE WAS ANYTHING
DIFFERENT. MY FIRST REACTION,
I FELT LIKE A DREAM. WE SPOKE
ENTRE WILLIAMS, ONE OF THE
WITNESSES FROM THURSDAY NIGHT.
HE SAYS HE WAS STANDING IN
FRONT OF THE RIDE THE NIGHT OF
TYREE’S DEATH AND NOTICE THE
RED FLAGS. NOBODY WALKED
AROUND TO SEE IT.
>> EVERYBODY WAS SECURELY. YOU
KNOW, LOCKED AND THERE HAS TO
BE REDUNDANCIES. THAT HAS TO
BE MORE THAN
>> A 16 YEAR-OLD MINIMUM WAGE
KID WALKING AROUND CHECKING
WHETHER OR NOT YOUR HARNESS
WORKS.
>> AND SO NOW IN A STATEMENT
ICON PARK SAID THE ICON PARK
FAMILY IS GRIEVING BECAUSE OF
THIS TRAGEDY. AND OUR THOUGHTS
ARE WITH TYRESE, FAMILY AND
FRIENDS. THEY ALSO SAID THEY
ARE COOPERATING WITH LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND REGULATORS.
THE INVESTIGATION IS BEING
HANDLED BY ORANGE COUNTY
SHERIFF’S OFFICE AND BY THE
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER
SERVICES LIVE IN ORLANDO. I’M
CARDONA GETTING RESULTS. BACK
TO YOU, ERIC AND STUDIO.
>> ERIK: CATALINA, THANK YOU.
SAFETY INSPECTIONS FOR
AMUSEMENT PARK RIDES AND OUR
STATE FALL ON THE SHOULDERS OF
THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER
SERVICES. BUT SOME THEME
PARKS, LARGER ONES IN
PARTICULAR, ARE ALLOWED TO DO
THEIR OWN INSPECTIONS. THIS
HINGES ON HOW MANY EMPLOYEES
WORK AT THE PARK IN FLORIDA
PARKS THAT EMPLOY MORE THAN
1000 PEOPLE LIKE DISNEY WORLD.
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS AND SEAWORLD
ARE ALLOWED TO INSPECT THEIR
OWN RIGHTS AND REPORT THEIR
FINDINGS TO THE STATE FOR
SMALLER THEME PARKS LIKE ICON
PARK F TAX INSPECTS RIDES WHEN
THEY ARE BUILT WHENEVER A
TEMPORARY RIGHT MOVES TO A NEW
LOCATION AND PERMANENT RIDES
LIKE ORLANDO FREEFALL ARE
INSPECTED TWICE A YEAR.
ACCORDING TO A PRESS RELEASE
FROM ICON PARK ORLANDO,
FREEFALL WAS DREAMED UP BY AN
OVERSEAS COMPANY COLD A FUN
TIME. YESTERDAY WE ASKED THE
RIDE MAKER IF THEY HAVE
ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT THIS
TRAGEDY. AND WE ASKED AGAIN
TODAY, STILL NO RESPONSE. SO
WE WILL KEEP ASKING. AND WHEN
WE DO GET A RESPONSIBLE POST
THAT AND ALL NEW INFORMATION
WE GET AS WE GET IT ON CLICK,