Verdict Awards $440 Billion Compensation to Family of American Boy Who Died Riding Amusement Ride

Agreement with Amusement Park Under Confidential Terms
Jury Awards Production Company 440 Billion Won in Damages

A verdict has been reached ordering a large compensation payment to the parents of a 14-year-old boy who died after falling from a free-fall amusement ride in the United States.

Orlando Free Fall, a free-fall ride at Icon Park in Orlando. Photo by AP Yonhap News

On the 7th (local time), foreign media including the New York Post reported that a jury in Orange County, Florida, ruled that a famous American free-fall amusement ride manufacturer must pay a total of $310 million (approximately 440 billion KRW) in damages.

On March 24, 2022, Tyre Samson (14), who had visited the amusement park Icon Park in Orlando, boarded the Orlando Free Fall, a 131-meter free-fall ride. However, during the rapid descent of the ride, Samson was ejected from his seat and fell to his death. Samson ultimately died, and his parents later filed a lawsuit against the ride manufacturer and the amusement park, citing the lack of proper safety restraints on the ride and the fact that Samson, weighing 172 kg, far exceeded the ride’s weight limit of 130 kg.

It was estimated that installing additional safety devices on the ride would have cost an extra $660 (approximately 940,000 KRW). After the accident, the ride was closed and has since been dismantled. It was also reported that Samson’s parents had already reached a confidential settlement with the amusement park.

The large compensation verdict was against the ride manufacturer, Austria’s Funtime Handels. Samson’s family’s legal representatives emphasized, "Samson’s death was the result of prioritizing profit over safety," and stated, "The manufacturer neglected its duty to protect passengers." If the ride manufacturer fails to pay the compensation, they may be required to pay additional administrative fees and could lose their operating license in the United States.

Samson’s mother, Nekia Todd, criticized the ride manufacturer for not sending a representative to court, saying, "I hoped they would face me and apologize, but I got nothing." She added, "No parent wants something like this to happen," and tearfully said, "Now my child remains only in memories, unable to be touched or hugged anymore."