14-year-old boy dies after falling from thrill ride in Orlando
A 14-year-old boy fell to his death fell from a 430-foot-tall thrill ride on Thursday night at the ICON Park in Orlando.
A video circulating on social media appears to show passengers on the ride discussing issues with a seat restraint Thursday night. The ride then began its trek up the tower before someone is later seen falling from the ride.
The Orlando Free Fall stands 430-feet tall and is billed as the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower. According to the amusement park’s website, it takes up to 30 guests high into the air before plummeting 400 feet toward the ground at 70 miles an hour.
“We are absolutely saddened and devastated by what happened, and our hearts go out to this young man’s family,” John Stine, sales director with the Slingshot Group, which owns the ride, told The Associated Press on Friday morning.
The Free Fall ride and an adjacent ride, the Sling Shot, have been closed indefinitely, Stine said.
“We are cooperating with all other investigations at this time to get to the bottom of what happened,” Stine said.
Stine said there had been no issues reported previously with the Free Fall ride.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says they received 911 calls about an emergency at the “Orlando Free Fall” just after 11 pm after witnesses reported seeing a person fall from the ride to the ground.