After the tragic incident of a teen dropping to his death while riding the free-fall ride at an amusement park in Florida, Dollywood, an amusement park located in Tennessee, said that they will be temporarily closing a ride at their park that is made by the same ride maker.
Dollywood said that they were saddened to hear the news about 14-year-old Tyre Sampson who fell out of a towering amusement ride called the Orlando FreeFall at Icon Park in Orlando on Thursday.
While authorities investigate and gather more information about the boy’s death, Dollywood said that they are temporarily closing Drop Line “out of an abundance of caution.”
The Pigeon Forge amusement park also said in an email that Drop Line is a 230-foot tall tower manufactured by Funtime Rides from Austria, the same company that made Orlando FreeFall.
“Although Dollywood does not have the specific ride involved in this tragic incident, the safety of our guests is our top priority,” Dollywood said, according to Local 3 News.
The Orlando FreeFall ride, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty stands 430-foot tall and is located along a busy street in the heart of Orlando’s tourist district, not too far off from Disney World.
The Icon Park attraction said that they are fully cooperating with investigators to figure out exactly what happened that made Sampson fall from the ride. Park officials also said that as of now, the ride will remain closed indefinitely.