On Thursday, close to 11 p.m., a 14-year-old boy suffered a fatal fall from a 430-foot-tall thrill ride. The incident happened at an amusement park in Orlando, Florida.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene of the call at ICON Park. A witness had observed someone fall from the ride to the ground.
The teen was transported to a medical facility where he was declared deceased.
Recordings depicting the fall have been circulating the internet.
In December 2021, the “Orlando Free Fall” ride opened up. It is said to be the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower. It takes up to 30 people into the air. Then, it travels down 400 feet at 70 mph.
The video shows passengers talking about the seat restraints before the ride began. As it starts to ascend in the air, someone is seen falling a short time afterward.
“We are absolutely saddened and devastated by what happened. Our hearts go out to this young man’s family,” stated the sales director at the Slingshot Group which owns the ride.
Two rides that are next to each other, the Free Fall and the Sling Shot, have now been closed down at the park.
“We are cooperating with all investigations at this time to get to the bottom of what happened,” he added.
No other issues are said to have been reported about the Free Fall ride prior to this.
