Funtime Statement on the Verdict in the Tyre Sampson Case
Symbolbild, ©: Funtime
(eap) On December 5th, 2024, Hillard Law, a Corpus Christi, Texas-based law firm, announced a verdict in the tragic case of Tyre Sampson – the 14-year-old boy who was killed in a free-fall tower ride at ICON Park in Orlando, Florida on March 24, 2022.
The attraction’s safety system, which was designed for a maximum body weight of 130 kilograms per passenger, failed in the case of the more corpulent Tyre Sampson, so that he was thrown out of his seat when the gondola fell and braked. The teenager had not previously been prevented from riding the freefall tower.
The family of the victim, who had already reached a settlement with ICON Park and the company operating the ride, had also sued the Austrian company Funtime as the manufacturer of the freefall tower. It accuses the manufacturer of failing to provide safety belts that could have prevented the accident. The verdict of case number “2022-CA-003570”, which was decided by an Orange County Circuit Court in Florida, sentences Funtime to pay damages totaling 310 million US dollars (155 million US dollars per parent of Tyre Sampson).
Today, Funtime Handels GmbH issued the following statement on the verdit:
“The freefall system was planned, calculated, manufactured and assembled by us in Orlando, Florida, in November 2021 in accordance with the applicable standards and regulations. Prior to handing over the attraction to the operating company, the system was inspected by experts and all tests were carried out in accordance with the standards and regulations applicable in the USA. The system was finally approved by the local inspection authority as technically sound and released for operation. The operator opened the ride in January 2022.”
On the safety technology of the system, Funtime states:
“The maximum distance between the seat horn (which is located between the legs) and the seat bar is a maximum of 6 cm according to the factory setting. This setting ensures the safe transport of people over 1.4 m tall and with a maximum weight of 130 kg. This bar-seat combination purchased from us is installed in numerous rides worldwide and complies with the globally recognized standard of the TÜV SÜD testing authority. The local testing authority approved the system under these technical conditions. The operator of the ride was aware that safe operation was only possible if these safety criteria were met.”
On the verdict, the statement reads:
“Under Austrian law, the US court verdict is not justified. Our company operates internationally, is recognized in the industry and complies with all requirements, which have also been confirmed by the local inspection authority. We deeply regret the accident in Florida, but see no responsibility in the occurrence of this accident, as we had no influence whatsoever on the operator’s intervention in the ride’s safety technology, which was carried out after the official inspections and without our knowledge.”
There are currently 21 rides of the affected attraction type from Funtime production in operation around the world – including in Germany, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, the USA, the UK and Denmark. So far, none of these rides have experienced an incident like the one in Florida. ■
