ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — 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’s tourism corridor.
A gigantic crane hovered Wednesday beside the towering ride in Orlando’s 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 autopsy 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’s weight limit of 287 pounds (130 kilograms).
The teen’s 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.
