Thrill ride in Florida ends in death for teenager

A teenage boy, aged 14, fell from Orlando Free Fall, a thrill ride at Orlando's Icon Park, which led to his death.

According to Orange County Sheriff's Office officials, the teenager succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Icon Park's call for help was not answered in time by emergency vehicles and sheriff's officials. Icon Park is located at International Drive, in the tourist district. Apparently, the boy fell from the Orlando Free Fall ride, which opened late last year.
John Stine, sales director of the Slingshot Group that owns the Orlando Free Fall ride, said that his company is devastated by what happened, and his heart goes out to this young man's family.

Stine said that the Free Fall ride and other ride, the Sling Shot, have been shut down permanently. Stine's company operates both rides. The Free Fall ride, which launched over the holiday season, had not shown any issues previously, Stine said. At this time, the company is cooperating with all other investigations in order to understand what happened.

The Florida Department of Agriculture, which supervises inspections for amusement rides except at state parks, opened an investigation, and inspectors arrived on the scene on Friday.

According to the park's website, the Orlando Free Fall ride is the world's tallest free-standing drop tower at 430 feet (131 meters).

The website says that the ride holds 30 passengers, which rises into the air, rotates around a tower, tilts to face the ground, and then free falls at over 75 mph (120 kph). There are two hand grips at chest level on the ride, which automatically go over the rider's shoulders.