The 14-year-old died after falling from the FreeFall attraction at ICON Park on March 25, 2022
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The family of Tyre Sampson, a 14-year-old who died after falling from an Orlando, Fla. amusement park ride in 2022, has been awarded $310 million.
Sampson, of St. Louis County, Mo., was visiting ICON Park with his family on March 24, 2022, when he fell from the FreeFall drop tower attraction. He was rushed to a local hospital where he died of his injuries.
More than two years later, his family has won a civil lawsuit against Funtime Handels, the Austria-based manufacturer of the ride, and has been awarded $310 million, according to local news stations WFTV and KSDK. A jury announced the verdict about an hour after deliberating.
Sampson’s parents will receive $155 million each, a spokesperson for Michael Haggard, one of the family’s lawyers, said, per KSDK.
Family attorneys Ben Crump and Natalie Jackson also announced the award via X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Dec. 5.
“This verdict is a step forward in holding corporations accountable for the safety of their products,” the attorneys said in a statement. “The jury’s decision confirms what we have long argued: Tyre’s death was the result of blatant negligence and a failure to prioritize safety over profits.”
In the statement, they added that the ride’s manufacturers “neglected their duty to protect passengers,” and the award guarantees they will “face the consequences of those decisions.”
Crump and Jackson said they “hope” the outcome “serves as a wake-up call for the entire industry” to enforce “stricter safety measures.”
“Tyre’s legacy will be a safer future for riders everywhere,” the statement concluded.
An accident report previously released by the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services stated that the magnets for the ride “engaged” upon descent and Sampson “came out” of his seat. Sampson’s “harness was still in a down and locked position when the ride,” which included a 430-foot drop, came to an end, the report added.
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Sampson died of “multiple injuries and trauma.”
The amusement park said in a statement at the time that it would continue to “fully cooperate” with authorities.
PEOPLE reached out to ICON Park for comment on Thursday, Dec. 5, but did not immediately hear back.
