Trial Magazine

Tyre Sampson, a 14-year-old boy who weighed about 380 pounds and was approximately 6’2” tall, visited entertainment complex Icon Park in Orlando, Fla. He rode the park’s Free Fall ride, a free-standing tower that dropped riders several hundred feet at speeds of more than 75 mph. While the drop tower was descending, Sampson was ejected from his seat and fell at least 100 feet to his death. He is survived by his parents and two siblings.

Sampson’s parents, as co-representatives of his estate, sued Icon Park, Orlando; Eagle Drop Slingshot LLC, which operated the ride; and Austrian-based ride manufacturer Funtime Handels GMBH, among others, alleging negligence and strict liability. The plaintiffs claimed that the ride had been designed defectively and manufactured improperly. Suit also claimed the ride lacked seat belts or instructions about its height and weight restrictions.

The plaintiffs settled with Icon Park and Eagle Drop Slingshot for undisclosed amounts.

The jury awarded $310 million.

Citation: Dodd v. “Funtime” Handelsgesellschaft m.b.H., No. 22-CA-0033570-O (Fla. Cir. Ct. Orange Cnty. Dec. 5, 2024).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ members Michael A. Haggard and Todd J. Michaels, and Kimberly Wald, all of Coral Gables, Fla.; AAJ member Benjamin Crump, Tallahassee, Fla.; Natalie Jackson, Orlando; and AAJ members Robert C. Hilliard and Alexander Hilliard, and Michael E. Richardson, all of Corpus Christi, Texas.