Florida – A 14-year-old boy died after falling from the world’s tallest freestanding ride at ICON park, Orlando. An investigation has begun to determine the cause of death.
The Orange County Sheriff’s in the Florida office stated that they received panic calls around 11 p.m. about Orlando’s free fall attraction at ICON park.
The office stated that while the investigation is ongoing, the eyewitnesses said: “someone had fallen from the ride.”
The teenager was immediately shifted to Arnold Palmer hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries, said the officials. The identity of the deceased boy was not released. It is still unclear about how the teenager died; an investigation has been called upon to know how he became free from the safety harness.
Slingshot group of companies’ Director for sales and marketing, John Stine who is the operator and owner of the thrill ride stated “words can’t say how we feel. Our hearts go out to the family of this young man and that’s all we can say at this time.”
According to the official website of ICON park, the Orlando free fall ride is a 430 feet tall free-fall drop tower that can carry approximately 30 riders at one time.
John Stine further stated, “we operate the ride with all the safety precautions in mind.” He further added that the deceased boy was carefully secured in the mandatory safety harness when the incident took place.
The ride has been closed till further notice. Stine stated, “it will open when there’s an appropriate time.”
The operators described it as the world’s tallest freestanding drop tower. The Orlando freefall ride was opened recently in January at the ICON park entertainment complex.
The website claims that “Once the ride vehicle reaches the top, it’ll tilt forward 30 degrees and face the ground before free-falling nearly 400 feet at speeds reaching over 75 mph.”
This is the second accident in two years at the ICON park. In the year 2020, an employee of the park suffered injuries and died while working on another ride called the Starflyer.
