A 14-year-old teenager fell to his death while riding the new drop tower at ICON Park in Orlando late Thursday night.
The newly opened 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.
Law enforcement and firefighters responded to the call at ICON Park Thursday evening in Orlando. Witnesses on the scene told deputies that someone had fallen off the Orlando FreeFall attraction.
Related – World’s Tallest Slingshot and Drop Tower Opens in Orlando’s Icon Park
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that a 14-year-old boy was transported to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.
FOX 35 News spoke to witnesses who saw the boy fall from the attraction.
“At first we thought it was a piece of the ride or whatever until we got a little closer and it was a person laying on the ground,” said Montrey Williams. “Everyone was just panicking and screaming.”
John Stine, director of marketing for the Slingshot Group, told FOX 35 News, “We operate the ride with all the safety precautions in mind. Everything is in place and this is why we are doing this investigation.
The teen’s death is under investigation according to the Sheriff’s Office. The ride will remain closed during the investigation.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family…
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