On March 24, 14-year-old Tyre Sampson tragically fell to his death on the Orlando Free Fall attraction at ICON Park on International Drive in Orlando, Florida.
A month later, Sampson’s parents filed a lawsuit against ICON Park, the Orlando Slingshot Group (the ride owners), and Keator Construction, LLC, a third-party company that manages various maintenance and construction projects around ICON Park.
The lawsuit accuses operators of adjusting and tampering with safety sensors on the ride’s harnesses on specific seats allowing them to open to “almost double” the normal range. A report from Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services found that attraction’s operators made unauthorized adjustments to ride seats that made them “unsafe.”
Michael Haggard, Sampson’s family’s attorney, alleges that there were no warnings about the ride’s weight restriction.
“[The owners of Orlando Freefall] have a weight restriction that is not disclosed to anyone. That is truly amazing because when you start talking about going 75 mph, from 430 feet to an almost sudden stop when you’re tilted, the biggest risk we can all think of gravity is weight. They did nothing to disclose that whatsoever,” Haggard said.
According to Haggard, the manual for the ride lists the weight limit at 286 pounds, and Sampson weighed about 380 pounds.
Despite the limit, there was no scale at the entrance to the ride. “There is a metal detector, so you do not bring your phone on, but there is no sign about weight, and there is no scale,” Haggard said. “I mean, how that is not more important than a metal detector for a ride like this is kind of amazing.”
As of last week, there is a new update on the lawsuit. The family has dropped Keator Construction, LLC from their lawsuit against Orlando Slingshot Group and ICON Park, according to Greg Fox of WESH News:
#WESH#Investigates Court docs show that the family of Tyre Sampson, the 14 year old boy who fell to his death on the @iconparkorlando Free Fall ride, have dropped defendant Keator Construction of Ocoee from their lawsuit against the park and ride owner Orlando Slingshot. @WESHpic.twitter.com/u4qDG7qDV1
Haggard hasn’t issued a statement on this update or given any reason why the Orange Country third-party construction group was removed from the lawsuit.
There are few actors who have reached the level of success that has been seen by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Johnson, who got his full-length feature film beginning in Universal Pictures’ The Mummy Returns (2001) and the subsequent spinoff The Scorpion King (2002) after a successful career as a professional wrestler in the WWE, has become a household name. He is a beloved icon who has transcended into one of the most popular actors in the world.
Now, it seems that the actor may be eyed for another key role in the world of Disney.
Johnny Depp, who plays the beloved role of Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, is still in the midst of a court trial with ex-wife Amber Heard. The Walt Disney Company reportedly turned its back on their beloved Captain Jack Sparrow before Johnny Depp could publicly defend his name and Heard’s Op-Ed with TheSun also cost Depp his role in The Fantastic Beasts franchise as Gellert Grindelwald to Mads Mikkelsen.
As the ongoing trial has unfolded, many fans have come to the defense of Johnny Depp, sharing their support for the actor, who also starred in several other blockbuster films including Public Enemies (2009), Willy Wonka (2005), Ed Wood (1994), Alice in Wonderland (2010), and many others.
Despite many fans coming to his defense, Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer officially confirmed this week that a script is being developed with Margot Robbie taking over the lead role. When asked if Captain Jack Sparrow– Johnny Depp’s beloved character– could make a return, he said that there were no plans in the works currently.
Now, a report from Giant Freakin’ Robot indicates that Depp may never return in the role and, instead, Dwayne Johnson may be eyed for the next leading role in a Pirates of the Caribbean spinoff.
“It has already been announced by Jerry Bruckheimer that two spinoffs are in the works. One will see Margot Robbie take the lead of the franchise. The other is currently a mystery for now. However, based on our trusted and proven source, we can report that a third spinoff is in the works. This third Pirates spinoff will star Dwayne Johnson.”
It doesn’t seem that Johnson would play the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, but rather would be a different character introduced in the franchise, similar to what will be seen with Margot Robbie’s spinoff film. It’s unclear if both Johnson and Robbie could star together in the film, but it could make for an interesting dynamic. Both Johnson (Black Adam) and Robbie (Harley Quinn) have become stars in DC Comics movie franchises, which rival Disney’s Marvel Studios.
It’s not just a role in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise that Dwayne Johnson may be being eyed for by Disney. There are also rumors that he could replace Will Smith in an iconic role, as well.
Smith left fans and fellow actors and actresses stunned after the Oscars incident several weeks ago.
Just a matter of minutes after the incident unfolded, Smith won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Richard Williams in King Richard (2021). After receiving much criticism following the event, Smith issued an apology and resigned from the Academy.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star made his Disney debut in Aladdin (2019) and the live-action blockbuster earned over $1 billion at the Hollywood box office. Though Disney has still been using content with Will Smith, it seems there might be a major change to his iconic role as Genie in the upcoming Aladdin 2project.
A rumor has recently formed that Dwayne Johnson could take over the role as Genie in the sequel. Genie, originally played by Robin Williams in the animated film, has been one of the most beloved characters in the world of Disney for 30 years.
If Johnson were to take on the role of Genie in Aladdin 2, there’s no doubt he could do an excellent job and would bring charisma and a different personality to the role.
Dwayne Johnson got his start with The Walt Disney Company when he signed on to star in the film The Gameplan (2007) alongside child star Madison Pettis. He would also star in Race to Witch Mountain (2009) just two years later before a period of almost a decade would occur without him starring in a Disney film.
Of course, he returned to Disney to be the voice of Maui in the beloved Disney Animations Studios film Moana (2018).
Looking at the back of the ship, we can see that this specific ship is the Carnival Freedom, an older ship in the lineup of Carnival Cruise Ships. At this time we are unsure how the fire started or if the situation was resolved. We also do not know if any injuries were reported. We will update the story as more information comes out.
