A 14-year-old boy has died after falling from the Free Fall ride at ICON Park in Orlando, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.It happened around 11 p.m. on Thursday.The boy was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital, where he died from his injuries. “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,” said John Stine, sales director for the Slingshot Group, which operates the ride. Free Fall and Sling Shot, an adjacent ride run, will be closed indefinitely. ICON Park’s Free Fall is the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower, and the ride reaches about 75 miles per hour. The ride opened late last year and stands at 430 feet tall. It holds 30 passengers that are rotated around the tower and tilted towards the ground before entering free fall. The attraction can carry up to 30 riders at a time, according to the park’s online description. “Once the ride vehicle reaches the top, it’ll tilt forward 30 degrees and face the ground before free falling nearly 400 feet at speeds reaching over 75 mph,” the website says.Details about what led to the fall weren’t immediately available.The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this article.
A 14-year-old boy has died after falling from the Free Fall ride at ICON Park in Orlando, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
It happened around 11 p.m. on Thursday.
Advertisement
The boy was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
“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,” said John Stine, sales director for the Slingshot Group, which operates the ride. Free Fall and Sling Shot, an adjacent ride run, will be closed indefinitely.
ICON Park’s Free Fall is the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower, and the ride reaches about 75 miles per hour. The ride opened late last year and stands at 430 feet tall. It holds 30 passengers that are rotated around the tower and tilted towards the ground before entering free fall.
The attraction can carry up to 30 riders at a time, according to the park’s online description. “Once the ride vehicle reaches the top, it’ll tilt forward 30 degrees and face the ground before free falling nearly 400 feet at speeds reaching over 75 mph,” the website says.
Details about what led to the fall weren’t immediately available.
The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this article.
