A harrowing 911 call has revealed Florida theme park employees reportedly "didn't secure the seat belt" of a teen who fell to his death from a 130-metre drop tower this week.
Tyre Sampson, 14, was visiting ICON Park in Orlando as part of a visit to central Florida for an American football programme trip with his friend's family. He died after slipping out of his seat on the Free Fall ride on Thursday night.
When asked by the 911 operator how far up Tyre was when he fell, a woman says: "I'm not sure, but it's the new [ride], that's all the way high - the highest one. I don't know from where he fell."
She then claims that the ride attendants "didn't secure the seat belt on him" and goes on to graphically describe the teen's injuries, saying that he has "blood on his feet" and adding he was unresponsive but possibly still alive. She also told the 911 operator that no one could perform CPR on him because they couldn't shift him onto his back.
"He's a heavy dude, he's on his stomach," she says.
Tyre's dad, Yarnell Sampson, says his son was 1.95 metres tall and 155kg and was told by other rides that he was too large to ride safely, but the Free Fall operators let him on board.
"This particular ride decided: 'Yeah, we can take you, get on', when nobody else would allow him to get on the rides," he told FOX 35 Orlando.
An investigation into the park is now underway. At a press conference on Friday, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Tyre's death "appears to be just a terrible tragedy".
"We will see moving forward what that results in."
Tyre's parents have also hired lawyers, who are looking for witnesses to the incident.
"This family is shocked and heartbroken at the loss of their son," says attorney Ben Crump.
"This young man was the kind of son every parent hopes for - an honor roll student, an aspiring athlete, and a kind-hearted person who cared about others. Needless to say, his family is absolutely devastated."
The second lawyer, Bob Hilliard, adds that families have a right to expect that theme parks will keep children safe and put safety above everything else.
The Free Fall ride has been closed until further notice while the investigation is underway. The company says it is working with police while this is happening.
In December, the ride passed a safety inspection before it was allowed to open, CNN says.
