'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Thursday, March 24, a 14-year-old boy fell to his death from the Icon Park Free Fall's entertainment complex in Orlando. As per local reports and the Orange County Sheriff's office, the boy fell from the recently announced "Icon Park Free Fall" ride at the amusement park.
According to local publications, the incident took place at around 11 pm. The young teenager was reportedly taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Park authorities are yet to make a public statement addressing the incident.
While the height from which the young victim fell is unknown, the Icon Park Free Fall ride itself is at around 430 feet and drops at a velocity of 75 mph. As per the press release of the ride, which was launched in January, the park claimed:
"The Orlando SlingShot™ at ICON Park stands at 300 feet, making it the world's tallest slingshot. The two-tower attraction launches two riders out of an 'exploding volcano' approximately 450 feet straight up into the sky, reaching speeds of up to 100 mph."
How did the 14-year-old boy fall to his tragic death from the Icon Park Free Fall ride?
Following the news of the dreadful accident, a video showcasing the tragedy made it to the internet. The video clip was also obtained by Today and featured a discussion between the passengers and the crew at the Icon Park Free Fall ride.
In the clip, a few of the passengers enquired about the seat belt of the ride to the operating crew of the Icon Park Free Fall ride.
One passenger can be heard saying,
"Why doesn't this have the little clicky click? Like the seatbelt?"
Later, as the ride begins, the crew enquires whether the young passenger checked the seatbelt around the side, to which the young voice replies, "Nope." The clip also caught the devastating fall of the teenager as the ride plummeted towards the ground.
While it is not clear what caused the fall of the passenger, the conversation from the video does point to a flaw of the seatbelt. However, it is not confirmed if the seatbelt had malfunctioned or if it was not worn.
As of now, it is also not known how the seat's harness was involved. It is possible that the child's fall was caused by the ride leaning forward while dropping down. According to the official website, the ride reaches as high as 400 feet while going up and leans forward at 30 degrees before plummeting to the ground.
Addressing the fall, Sales director of the Slingshot group (which operates the ride), John Stine, told Associated Press:
"We operate the ride with all the safety precautions in mind. Everything is in place. And this is why we're doing this investigation. We are working with those people investigating at this point."
An investigation by local authorities regarding the cause of the fall is still underway. The height drop rides at the park are closed for an indefinite amount of time.
