14-year-old dies after fall from amusement park ride at ICON Park in Orlando, Florida
A 14-year-old boy died Thursday after falling from an amusement park ride in Orlando, Florida, a sheriff’s office said.
Deputies received a 911 call and responded to ICON Park shortly after 11 p.m. where witnesses said someone had fallen from the Free Fall ride, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The teenager was transported to a hospital where he died from his injuries.
The death investigation is in early stages, according to police.
Passengers on the ride appeared to ask about a seat restraint before someone is seen falling from the ride, according to video aired by NBC’s “Today” show Friday.
The ride opened in ICON Park in center of Orlando’s Entertainment District late last year, making it the “world’s tallest free-standing drop tower,” according to a January release from the park. Thirty riders at the time can rise to the top, tilt forward and then free fall nearly 400 at speeds reaching over 75 mph.
The park is scheduled to open today, officials said. But the ride itself will be closed indefinitely, said John Stine, spokesperson for the Slingshot Group of Companies, which owns and operates the ride. Stine said there have been no other safety issues with the ride since it opened.
“Needless to say we are devastated,” Stine said. “Our hearts go out this young man’s family, and we are cooperating with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and other local agency’s ongoing investigations which I cannot comment on any further at this time.”
Contact Breaking News Reporter N’dea Yancey-Bragg at nyanceybra@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg