Johnson dropped Sampson off at the park, she said, and he told her he wanted to ride the swing.
“I said ‘OK. Ride it twice and ride it for me too,'” Johnson said.
“He called me back about seven minutes later. He said, ‘They said I’m too big. I can’t drive,'” Johnson said in the interview with Spectrum News 13.
DailyExpertNews reached out to ride operator Slingshot Group to ask if Sampson was a good fit and if he was denied entry to the group’s other ride because of his size.
Johnson said she told Sampson to try another, the SlingShot, but was also told it was too big. He told her there was another ride he would try.
“He called me and said, ‘They let me drive. I can drive. I can drive,'” she recalled telling her before getting on the Orlando FreeFall.
“I didn’t know it would be the last time I spoke to him alive. He just wanted to ride and have fun,” she said.
An accident report obtained by DailyExpertNews said Sampson’s seat was locked when the ride landed.
“The harness was still in a downward and locked position when the ride stopped,” according to the report filed by the operator with the Fair Rides Division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Sampson got out of the seat when the magnets engaged to slow the ride during the descent, according to the report, which was based on ride-employee witnesses and obtained by DailyExpertNews.
The report named three witnesses, all listed as employees.
Sampson’s father, Yarnell Sampson, also questioned his son’s size on Friday, telling DailyExpertNews, “My son was six feet tall. So he’s a big guy.”
The ride’s operation and maintenance manual, posted online by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, states that the maximum passenger weight is 130 kilograms (about 287 pounds).
“Be careful when checking whether large guests will fit in the seats. Check that they fit within the contours of the seat and that the bar fits properly. If not, do not let this person drive”, the manual reads .
It is not clear whether Sampson will fit the contours of the chair or whether the bracket will fit properly.
Video circulating on social media, ostensibly from the ICON Park incident, shows a person falling from their seat for about five seconds in the ride’s trap, perhaps about two-thirds of the way down, as the ride slowed down as he hit the ground was approaching.
The FreeFall attraction is closed while the accident is being investigated.
On Tuesday, Slingshot Group said it had suspended another of its rides, the Slingshot.
“We are heartbroken by the loss of Tire Sampson and are absolutely devastated for his family and loved ones,” the group said in a statement.
“We have suspended operations of the FreeFall ride and the Slingshot ride in Icon Park. We are fully cooperating with authorities at the state and local level investigating this tragic incident. We plan to provide additional information in the coming days , as we learn more,” the statement said.
ICON Park said Monday it had demanded that Slingshot Group suspend them both “until a thorough investigation by the appropriate authorities is completed and all parties are satisfied that the attractions are safe from the public.”†
DailyExpertNews’s Theresa Waldrop contributed to this report.