Dad Of Teen Who Died From Theme Park Ride Fall Learned About Son’s Death Via Graphic Social Media Video
Somehow this already tragic story got worse.
Youtube / Twitter Following the death of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson at ICON Park in Orlando, Florida, there has been an outpouring of support online as well as many questions as to how the tragedy could have even happened.
Among those speaking out after Sampson’s death are members of Tyre Sampson’s family, including his father, Yarnell Sampson, who shared the horrifying story of how he learned about his son’s death.
Tyre Sampson's father found out about his son’s death through a video posted on social media.
In a horrific video that has since been mostly deleted from the internet, Tyre could be seen falling out of his seat as the drop tower slowed its descent toward the ground.
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Yarnell Sampson shared the pain that he was feeling when he first found out about the death of his 14-year-old son, saying, “It felt like somebody hit me so hard in my stomach."
"I just lost, I lost, lost wind. And the pain behind it could never be taken away, and sorry's not gonna take it back and no monies, no nothing in the world to replace the young man.”
Tyre had been on a trip to Orlando, Florida with his friends when they went to an amusement park, ICON Park.
While they were enjoying the different attractions, Tyre couldn’t join his friends on most of the rides due to his size. At 14-years-old, Tyre Sampson was 6’5” tall and weighed 340 pounds, which meant that he wasn’t allowed to go on the various rides at ICON Park for safety reasons. All except for one ride.
According to Yarnell, the staff operating the drop tower encouraged Tyre to go on the ride, saying, “‘We can take you, come on! Get on!’ No one else allowed him to get on the ride, so I’m wondering what happened between now and then that made them say, 'Come on, get this ride!’”
This was to be a regretful moment as Tyre's safety was then jeporadized.
"It's just sad, a young man's bright future was taken away from him over a ride, an amusement park," Yarnell said.
Yarnell Sampson and others are seeking answers.
At this time it is unclear exactly what caused the accident but there are several theories online.
Yarnell is grieving for the loss of his son and wants answers more than anyone, “I want to know what happened to my son.I want to know why my son is in a white bag, having to get shipped back home. He walked there. Why he can't walk back? I want answers from everybody. Who all was involved in that?”
Dan O'Reilly is a writer who covers news, politics, and social justice. Follow him on Twitter.