ORLANDO, Fla. — A teenager died Thursday night after falling from an amusement ride at ICON Park in Orlando, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.
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Deputies responded to ICON Park along the 8400 block of International Drive shortly after 11 p.m. after receiving a 911 emergency call.
Once on scene, they learned from witnesses that someone had fallen from the FreeFall attraction.
Photos: Investigation underway at ICON Park after boy dies following fall from Orlando FreeFall
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The sheriff’s office said the rider, age 14, was transported to a hospital where he died from his injuries.
OCSO told Eyewitness News that the death investigation is in its “very early stages” and had no other details to release about the incident.
John Stine, a spokesperson for the ride, told Channel 9 that the ride will be closed indefinitely.
“Our hearts go out to the family of this young man,” Stine said. “Our hearts are broken today.”
A 14-year-old boy plummeted to his death. He was thrown from the Orlando Free Fall ride at Icon Park along I-Drive. Investigation underway to learn what went wrong. SlingShot Group, owner and operator, said it’s heartbroken and the ride is closed indefinitely. @WFTV pic.twitter.com/YgRmUijMCp
— Christy Turner (@CTurnerWFTV) March 25, 2022
Officials will be working with law enforcement officers to figure out how the teenager fell from the ride.
Watch the update below.
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FreeFall opened on Jan. 5, 2022 at ICON Park, along with another ride called SlingShot.
According to a news release issued when the rides debuted, “The Orlando SlingShot and Orlando FreeFall are owned and operated by The Slingshot Group, Keator Construction, LLC is the general contractor responsible for building these landmark attractions. The manufacturer of the rides is Funtime.”
The release detailed how the FreeFall thrill ride operates:
“The Orlando FreeFall at ICON Park stands at 430 feet, making it the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower. Thirty riders at a time can embrace the beautiful sites of ICON Park and I-Drive as the ride vehicle rotates around the gigantic tower and rises high into the skyline. Once the ride vehicle reaches the top, it’ll tilt forward 30 degrees and face the ground for a brief moment before free falling nearly 400 feet at speeds reaching over 75 mph.”
The SlingShot Group, which owns and operates the ride, said it’s closed indefinitely while investigators try to get to the bottom of how this tragedy happened. Here are some ride details:
— Christy Turner (@CTurnerWFTV) March 25, 2022
•430 feet tall
•Riders fall nearly 400 feet
•Drops at speeds reaching around 75 mph pic.twitter.com/VXNZ6AeAmw
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WFTV reporter Christy Turner is working to gather the latest details on Thursday night’s deadly incident.
Watch live updates on Eyewitness News beginning at 4:30 a.m. and monitor WFTV.com for the latest on this developing story.
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