ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida Sen. Randolph Bracy, D-District 11, sent a letter Tuesday to the state department in charge of investigating the death of a 14-year-old who fell from a thrill ride at ICON Park in Orlando, urging the agency to make the temporary closure of the Orlando FreeFall a permanent one. (WKMG)
Bracy said Tyre Sampson’s death was premature, an “unconscionable and avoidable tragedy,” and called on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to act quickly — re-inspecting rides throughout the state and outright shutting down the Orlando FreeFall — for others’ safety.
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“I urge the Department to: reexamine and implement minimum safety requirements for fixed amusement parks, implement secondary or additional safety restraints to quickly respond to mechanical and human errors, and require more robust peer training and safety protocols to increase accountability by amusement park operators,” Bracy said. “I urge that these measures be implemented immediately and I also request that the Department close the Orlando FreeFall ride permanently.”
Related: Vigil held for 14-year-old boy who died in fall from Orlando thrill ride | Clay County Fair officials discuss ride safety in wake of Orlando tragedy | ‘No, he’s not breathing’: 911 calls released in deadly Orlando thrill ride fall
Floridian theme parks that employ 1,000 or fewer people are subject to FDACS inspections for ride safety, permitting and accidents. In the letter, Bracy wrote directly to FDACS Commissioner Nikki Fried.
“No human being should experience the plight of tragedy that could have been avoided by ensuring our amusement parks are operating at the highest levels of safety and care. I greatly appreciate your attention and consideration to this matter,” Bracy said.
Read Bracy’s letter below, or by clicking here.
Click here to read more from WKMG.