Exactly how could there be a 31 .
FL - Tyre Sampson, 14, dies from fall on Free Fall Drop Tower ride, ICON Park, Orlando, Mar 2022 *graphic*
- Thread starter gregjrichards
- Start date
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2013
- Messages
- 13,432
- Reaction score
- 65,718
I’ve seen the image too and it confused me at first as it looked melted. Another photo shows it’s been wrapped in black plastic of some sort, but the headrest is missing and it doesn’t look like he just fell straight out, so did part of the seat come loose too?
EDIT: I guess it’s possible that upon realising he was slipping, Tyre tried to grab the headrest behind him and it snapped off with the weight and force.
Last edited:
I saw that photo of the seat covered in black plastic in the Atlanta Black Star. It is seat #27 (clearly visible in the photo). That is the same seat that was broken and out of service three weeks earlier as reported by someone who refused to get on the ride. There's a photo of that seat also and it is clearly #27.
But nowhere in that article or in any other have I seen it reported which seat Tyre was in. Did Tyre fall out of the seat that was broken shortly before? Or maybe seat 27 has been broken for a month and covered in plastic, partially disassembled, to prevent use, and everyone is photographing it assuming it was Tyre's seat because it is covered in plastic and just looks like the one under investigation. I have not read any report that says Tyre's seat was damaged when he was ejected, nor that anyone has removed his seat or covered it in plastic. On the contrary, that state report claims the seat was normal and "still" locked after the ride ended.
I tend to think the broken seat #27 was not Tyre's and his was not damaged (just never locked or checked due to his size, and didn't hold due to his weight.) But I can't verify that. If he was in seat 27, that would be a huge story about why that seat was broken a month ago, how it broke, and whether it was repaired correctly. No one has run that angle so it might not be his seat. Any sleuths out there have photos of him that show seat numbers? Or other confirmation of his seat number by investigators?
I sorry if I worded it wrong. I did not mean that Tyre Sampson’s seat was broke when his accident occurred. From the images I have seen the empty seat next to his was 28. Seat 31 was on the ride inspector’s papers after the accident. I don’t understand how he could have been in seat 31 if the ride only seats 30 . His seat has been removed for further inspection, the plastic is to cover the area.
That part of his seat was removed for further inspection.
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2013
- Messages
- 13,432
- Reaction score
- 65,718
Wonder why they didn’t remove the entire seat? Hmmm, not convinced it’s definitely Tyre’s seat.
Edit: Just a random thought before I go to sleep. Are people superstitious over there about the number 13? Could that be why it goes up to 31, because it omits 13? In the UK that would be a possibility.
Last edited:
Do we actually know that?
We know for sure that seat 27 was broken and covered in plastic back on March 5th and the manufacturer is in Austria and the seat manufacturer is in Germany. So having a broken seat for three weeks waiting for a replacement is plausible.
Last edited:
Ha ha. That's really clever! But I doubt it. The only rumors I've ever heard about avoiding 13 was about floor numbers in buildings. I've never in my life seen 13 avoided on anything (theatre seats for example). But that was a really great question!
There is also a good reason to think there WAS a seat number 31 (Tyre's according to the report) AND a broken seat 27 that is the one covered in plastic.
There were six riders on the ride. A group of three (to the left side of the video) that included Tyre as the rightmost of the three. Then three open seats. Then the three riders that the operator was talking with and checking their harnesses.
Under every seat is two white horizontal lights. All of those lights are lit under the seats of the riders and all seats that we can see as the ride starts. However, as the ride gets higher and turns we can see that the lights under only one seat are not lit. It's a seat that was initially out of view, possibly the still broken seat 27.
When Tyre fell you can see a frame of the video where that seat with the lights off is just coming into view. That unlit seat is very clearly four seats to the left of where Tyre was seated. If that is the broken seat 27, then Tyre's would be four seats further which might be seat 31!
I don't know why this ride would have a seat 31, but maybe it was customized with a few extra seats or maybe the Funtime web site is out of date and newer versions have more seats. Who knows, maybe 13 really was left off? I still think the broken seat 27 was probably unrelated to the accident.
There were six riders on the ride. A group of three (to the left side of the video) that included Tyre as the rightmost of the three. Then three open seats. Then the three riders that the operator was talking with and checking their harnesses.
Under every seat is two white horizontal lights. All of those lights are lit under the seats of the riders and all seats that we can see as the ride starts. However, as the ride gets higher and turns we can see that the lights under only one seat are not lit. It's a seat that was initially out of view, possibly the still broken seat 27.
When Tyre fell you can see a frame of the video where that seat with the lights off is just coming into view. That unlit seat is very clearly four seats to the left of where Tyre was seated. If that is the broken seat 27, then Tyre's would be four seats further which might be seat 31!
I don't know why this ride would have a seat 31, but maybe it was customized with a few extra seats or maybe the Funtime web site is out of date and newer versions have more seats. Who knows, maybe 13 really was left off? I still think the broken seat 27 was probably unrelated to the accident.
- Joined
- May 15, 2010
- Messages
- 20,089
- Reaction score
- 55,542
Yes, a good many folks don't like the number 13 -- some hotels don't have a floor 13; some folks get freaked on Friday 13th; some people don't like 13 people at a dinner table, etc.
Good question, 'Cagney.
Seat numbers conclusion:
Upon viewing the video at higher resolution, the seat numbers are clear. The guy in the shorts is in seat 5. There is a girl to the right of him in seat 6 and a guy with jeans to the left of him in seat 4. There are two seats empty to their left, seats 2 and 3. Tyre is next in seat 1. There are two riders to the left of Tyre's (his right) in seats 29 and 30. Seat 28 is empty. And seat 27 is broken and out of commission and wrapped in black plastic (also lights under it are not lit and it looks like part of the seat including the headrest is removed.
Conclusions that I believe can be drawn:
(1) Seat 27 was broken and wrapped in plastic since at least early March when that other rider posted his picture.
(2) Tyre was sitting in seat 1, NOT in the seat photographed wrapped in black plastic that many news articles publish with the implication that it was Tyre's seat.
(3) There are exactly 30 seats in agreement with the company's web site, numbered 1-30.
I can't account for why the WESH article says Tyre was in seat 31. They must have gotten that from the report which I have not seen. Perhaps it's a typo. Seat 1 or 31 doesn't matter anyway as long as it was not the broken seat 27.
Tyre was sitting in a normal working seat. You can see the over-the-shoulder harness was not all the way down like all the other riders. His size appears to have prevented that.
Upon viewing the video at higher resolution, the seat numbers are clear. The guy in the shorts is in seat 5. There is a girl to the right of him in seat 6 and a guy with jeans to the left of him in seat 4. There are two seats empty to their left, seats 2 and 3. Tyre is next in seat 1. There are two riders to the left of Tyre's (his right) in seats 29 and 30. Seat 28 is empty. And seat 27 is broken and out of commission and wrapped in black plastic (also lights under it are not lit and it looks like part of the seat including the headrest is removed.
Conclusions that I believe can be drawn:
(1) Seat 27 was broken and wrapped in plastic since at least early March when that other rider posted his picture.
(2) Tyre was sitting in seat 1, NOT in the seat photographed wrapped in black plastic that many news articles publish with the implication that it was Tyre's seat.
(3) There are exactly 30 seats in agreement with the company's web site, numbered 1-30.
I can't account for why the WESH article says Tyre was in seat 31. They must have gotten that from the report which I have not seen. Perhaps it's a typo. Seat 1 or 31 doesn't matter anyway as long as it was not the broken seat 27.
Tyre was sitting in a normal working seat. You can see the over-the-shoulder harness was not all the way down like all the other riders. His size appears to have prevented that.
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2019
- Messages
- 3,370
- Reaction score
- 21,643
When I was in college, I went on a trip and we stayed at a high-rise hotel that did not have a 13th floor. It went directly from 12 to 14.
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2013
- Messages
- 5,140
- Reaction score
- 14,715
Omg!!! I have debating telling my similar story!! I was on the big shot on the stratosphere in vegas. I am short and top heavy, but not an extra large person. My weight had a 1 at the beginning, so nothing crazy. They put my harness down while talking. But it didn't lock in place. I stated pushing it up and down screaming, it's not locked! He went behind my seat and made an adjustment. It then locked. I saw him look at his coworker with huge eyes. They almost literally shot me over las vegas. It's all I can think of with this story. It was similar. No strap.between the legs. Just a u shaped shoulder harness that wasn't locked. It's possibly similar and had been adjusted for someone small.and they didn't readjust in the back to lock properly over him.This same thing happened to me quite a few years ago on the big Rollercoaster that goes out over the strip in Vegas. They flip a switch that makes the bar release and then it comes down in place and locks .. mine only came down about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way and locked and I couldn't push it up or pull it down. It was so loud in that building that no one could hear me yelling and I could barely move my arm to try and flag down the attendant. Luckily just as the cars were starting the slow roll forward, someone noticed me waving and they stopped the cars and fixed my bar. It was one of the scariest things I've ever been though. My prayers go out to this boys family and friends.
My heart breaks sooooo much for.him. he probably felt so much joy being able to ride and then so much fear and horror. Poor baby.
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2017
- Messages
- 748
- Reaction score
- 7,574
I'm so sorry you experienced that.
It really makes me wonder how this type of accident doesn't happen more often.- Joined
- Apr 1, 2021
- Messages
- 110
- Reaction score
- 918
I am underweight, always have been. I went to Florida as an 8 year old, I was on one of those boat rides that suddenly drop (could have been Journey to Atlantis or the Jurassic Park one?). My dad had to hold me back as I almost went over the front of the boat. As a teenager at Thorpe Park near London, I was on a ride (Samurai) with the same harness that goes over your shoulder as the ride Tyre was on. It was one of those rides that spin you around and upside down. Being skinny, the shoulder harness felt too loose on me and I spent the whole ride terrified I was going to fall out. Of course my friends and staff thought I was screaming in exhilaration. There's also a ride in Atlantis Dubai where you stand on a platform and then it drops and you go through a water slide. You have to be 50kg to ride those so you have enough momentum to go around the loop and not get stuck. I weigh less than this even as an adult. As a teenager I would probably be upset if all rides had this limit and I couldn't enjoy them with all my friends. As an adult, with those scary experiences, now I'm glad that there is a limit because there's a reason for it. I wonder if the staff didn't realize how young Tyre was as he did look older than 14, perhaps they thought he was older and "old enough" to know the risks, or had lots of experiences on rides, so didn't seriously risk assess?
Last edited:
My issue is not the weight (I got plenty of that lol), what makes me feel unsafe is my height. I always feel like I'm way too short for most of the extreme rides. Again, I am not skinny but in two instances I almost had some pretty serious accidents on the same waterpark.
On the most recent one, it was a pretty basic slide, for some reason, I got way too much momentum and when I got to the exit, I was coming in so fast that I hit my head on the very bottom of the side as I was getting ejected from it. The lifeguard rushed over to me to check if I was okay and thankfully I was fine.
Cherith.Barbieri
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2022
- Messages
- 26
- Reaction score
- 240
Would it be possible to post a link for this information ?
I've not been able to find this anywhere, yet.
Thanks in advance.
I could gather the different sources that confirm he was in seat #1, and that show seat #24 has been broken and removed prior to the accident, from which I think it's a very strong conclusion that reports of them removing the seat are just wrong assumptions... or were wrong assumptions on the day of the accident when most of the reporting took place. But of course they hired a forensics team so who knows what condition it is in now.
The links to the various news stories with photos of seat #24 removed that imply it was Tyre's seat are numerous and easy to find.
The link to the story about the person who photographed seat #24 (broken and covered and partially dismantled) in early March, weeks before the accident, appears in an article with a link earlier in this thread.
The conclusive evidence that seat #24 was removed at the time of the accident and that Tyre was seated in, and fell from, seat #1 requires the video of his fall. That video can still be found online, but it's too graphic to post a link, and though it is very obviously genuine it would require a link to a site can safely be assumed NOT approved but this site.
Hope that's helpful.
Cherith.Barbieri
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2022
- Messages
- 26
- Reaction score
- 240
bolding mine
Thank you. ^^^
I meant only the headrest being removed, as opposed to the entire seat ?
That was the portion that does not appear in the articles.
Some sources say the entire seat was removed; if true, this is wise and they need to know if something snapped off or was improperly fastened .
I am so sorry for this precious teen's family.
In my opinion only -- as I was not there, nor am I employed by the park -- the tragedy was preventable.
This is the most difficult part to accept, since it would appear from all of the articles posted here and in msm that his seat may not have been locked correctly.
A freak or random accident might be understandable, but not faulty light indicators or the v-shaped harness that might not have been checked ?
The latter would mean Tyre's death was preventable.
On the other hand, here's a thought : Is it possible that the light indicator was 'green' or 'on', showing that all of the restraints were properly secured -- but in reality one seat was not ?
If this is a likely scenario, the error would be on the manufacturer of the ride, and not the employees.
Again my two cent's worth.
Staff online
-
FraizeAdministrator
Online statistics
- Members online
- 67
- Guests online
- 2,779
- Total visitors
- 2,846