On Thursday, an Orange County jury determined that Funtime Handels, a foreign company behind the FreeFall drop tower ride, should pay $310 million in damages to the family of the teen who fell to his death.
The incident occurred in March 2022 when 14-year-old Tyre Sampson fell while riding the FreeFall drop tower ride at ICON Park.
Sampson was in Orlando for spring break when he boarded the FreeFall drop tower, which drops riders over 400 feet. However, he slipped out of the harness and fell to the ground during the descent, causing his death.
A state investigation confirmeD that two seats had been adjusted to handle the teen's large size, allowing him to slip out of his seat.
According to the investigation, Sampson weighed about 100 pounds more than the recommended weight for someone to ride the FreeFall drop tower, though that information was not posted anywhere.
The owner was fined, and the ride was taken down.
The Sampson family sued ICON Park and the FreeFall's owner, but both parties settled the lawsuits against them. The only remaining case was the suit against the ride's manufacturer, Funtime Handels.
ICON Park did not own or operate the ride and is not a party to legal action in the teen's death.
The trial in the death of Sampson started Thursday in Orange County with jury selection.
Attorneys said after Sampson's death, Funtime Handels defended the case and sent engineers to inspect the ride. However, the company stopped responding and didn't show up to court.
Sampson's mother, father and older brother appeared in court Thursday and shared their testimonies.
The family argued the company failed to properly manufacture, design, build and supervise the FreeFall drop tower ride.
"This calamity of errors, and mistakes and negligence has crossed over from Europe to Orlando," said Michael Haggard, the Sampson family attorney.
The family persisted in their quest for justice to ensure that no other family endured this tragedy.
State lawmakers have also passed a new law in Sampson's name enhancing safety regulations for amusement park rides.
The FreeFall drop tower ride was dismantled in 2023.