His Family Gets $310 Million After a 14-Year-Old’s Deadly Ride Fall

A Missouri family received a $310 million jury award after losing their 14-year-old son in a devastating accident at an Orlando amusement park. The teenager, Tyre Sampson, fell from the Orlando FreeFall drop tower in March 2022, leaving his parents with a loss that no financial award could ever undo.

The verdict, reported by CBS News in December 2024, ordered the ride’s manufacturers, Funtime Handels and Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, to pay damages to the family. Under the jury’s award, Tyre’s mother, Nekia Dodd, and father, Yarnell Sampson, were each entitled to $155 million. Because the manufacturers are based in Austria, the family would need to seek an order from an Austrian court to collect the damages, according to the Associated Press report cited by CBS.

Tyre had traveled from the St. Louis area to Orlando for spring break with a friend’s family. On March 24, 2022, he boarded the towering attraction at ICON Park, which carried riders more than 400 feet into the air before dropping at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. During the descent, Tyre fell from his seat and struck the ground. He was 14 years old.

The tragedy prompted serious questions about how the ride had been allowed to operate. Tyre was approximately 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed around 380 pounds, while the attraction’s safety manual listed a maximum rider weight of 287 pounds. According to the report, he had previously been turned away from another attraction because of his size.

An independent forensic engineering firm hired to investigate found that an operator had manually adjusted the sensors in Tyre’s seat. That adjustment allowed the ride to operate even though the seat was unsafe for him. Investigators did not identify an electrical or mechanical failure in the ride itself, according to the report.

Tyre’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit in April 2022 against the ride’s operators and manufacturers, arguing that the risks to passengers should have been anticipated. The family had already reached an earlier settlement with ICON Park and the company operating the attraction.

During the civil case, the family described the lasting emotional and physical consequences of losing Tyre. His mother spoke about being unable to hug or kiss her son again, while his father testified that he had lost weight, hair, and teeth amid his grief. Both described the pain of knowing that ordinary family moments would never return.

The ride was dismantled in 2023, roughly a year after the fatal accident. For Tyre’s mother, seeing it removed brought conflicting emotions: relief that the attraction was gone, alongside the knowledge that its removal could not bring her son back.

The tragedy also led to legislative changes. In May 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Tyre Sampson Act, introducing additional safety requirements for certain amusement rides, including restraints, inspections, testing, and accident reporting.

Although the $310 million verdict represented a major development in the family’s legal fight, its significance extended beyond the amount awarded. Tyre’s death raised urgent questions about passenger safety, operator decisions, and the responsibilities of companies that build and maintain thrill rides. For his family, however, the loss remains deeply personal: no verdict can replace the son they expected to watch grow up.