ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) 鈥� Almost a year after a Missouri teen fell to his death, a 400-foot (122 meter) amusement ride was being dismantled this week in central Florida鈥檚 tourism corridor.
A gigantic crane hovered Wednesday beside the towering ride in Orlando鈥檚 International Drive tourism district where 14-year-old Tyre Sampson fell in March 2022. A fence encircled the ride and blocked off parts of the nearby sidewalk and road. The ride's dismantling was expected to take several days.
Sampson, who lived in the St. Louis area, was visiting Orlando during spring break when he died from the fall.
An showed that Sampson suffered numerous broken bones and internal injuries in the fall, which was ruled an accidental death. It showed Sampson weighed 383 pounds (173 kilograms), well above the ride manual鈥檚 weight limit of 287 pounds (130 kilograms).
by outside engineers hired by the Florida Department of Agriculture said sensors on the ride had been adjusted manually to double the size of the opening for restraints on two seats, resulting in the teen not being properly secured. The report said there were many other 鈥減otential contributions鈥� to the accident.
Sampson鈥檚 family had filed a against the owner, manufacturer and landlord of the ride, claiming they were negligent and failed to provide a safe amusement ride. An attorney for the family said Wednesday that they had reached a settlement with the owner but didn't provide details.
Legislation is pending in the Florida Legislature aimed at preventing similar accidents. The Tyre Sampson Act would prevent Florida鈥檚 smaller attractions operators from making unauthorized adjustments to a ride鈥檚 restraint systems and require operators to submit more detailed safety and operational documentation to the state.
The teen鈥檚 mother, Nekia Dodd, had been advocating for the ride to be dismantled and visited the site on International Drive on Wednesday, saying she was happy no other family will have to go through what hers has.
鈥淚t won't happen again, and I'm glad for that," Dodd said. "I'm all over the place with emotions.鈥�