Horror last moments of teen caught on camera as he plunged 100ft from Florida ride

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Tyre Sampson's devastated family were awarded a $300m payout earlier this month after the 14-year-old fell to his death on an Orlando drop ride which had no seatbelts

The horrifying last moments of a thrillseeking teenager were caught on camera in the moments before he plunged to his death.

Tyre Sampson plummeted 100ft from a tower drop ride at ICON theme park on Orlando's International Drive in 2022. Earlier this month, his parents were awarded $300m (£243m) in damages after claiming height and weight restrictions were ignored.

The 14-year-old from Misssouri was visiting the Florida attraction with his American football team during spring break when tragedy struck. Tyre was 6ft 5" and weighed 380 pounds (27 stone) - 100lbs more than the ride's limit. There were also no seatbelts and the family's lawyers argued Tyre's death was a result of safety failures and negligence by the ride operators.

Heartwrenching footage shows Tyre sitting in his seat before the ride starts - with the shoulder restraint appearing higher up and loose as if the lock magnets wre not secured properly.

Moments later, footage captures Tyre falling from the ride. He was rushed to hospital but was later pronounced dead.

Friends later revealed that Tyre started "freaking out" when he realised something was wrong. His pals told news outlets: "When the ride took off, that’s when he was feeling uncomfortable.

"He was like ‘this thing is moving,'...and he was like ‘what’s going on?' And that’s when he started freaking out."

Tyre then told the friend beside him: “If I don’t make it down tell … Please tell my mama and daddy I love them.”

In awarding damages this week, the jury said the amount was for the "pain and suffering as a result of Tyre Sampson's injury and death".

"Tyre's death was the result of blatant negligence and a failure to prioritise safety over profits," the family's lawyer, Ben Crump said.

The Austrian manufacturer, Funtime Handels GMBH, did not send a representative to court and no lawyer was listed in the court records.

The damages were split equally between Tyre's mother and father, who launched the civil suit in March 2022, a month after their son's death.

Tyre's father, Yarnell told Inside Edition: "It was a bittersweet moment. The judgement was fair."

Speaking of the company's absence in court, he added: "They should've came and at least said: 'Hey, we're sorry. We apologise. What can we do to make this thing better?'"

Tyre was described as a "straight-A student and football stand out."

On the stand, his mother broke down describing what might have been. "He wasn't given a chance to live. He wasn't given a chance to do anything. They robbed me, they robbed him, they robbed us."

Seven months after the accident, the amusement park tore down the ride which had been known as the "tallest free standing drop tower in the world."

It worked by rotating riders around a tower as they are lifted high into the air before being dropped 430ft.

Last year, the family settled for an undisclosed amount with two other defendants, the ride's owner, Eagle Drop Slingshot, and ICON Park, where it operated, the BBC reports.

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