Sensors were adjusted on ride where teen fell to death

By MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — An independent report has concluded that sensors on a Florida amusement park ride were adjusted manually to double the size of restraint openings, resulting in a 14-year-old boy not being properly secured before he slipped out and fell to his death. The report from outside engineers hired to help investigate the accident was released Monday. It says the average opening for restraints on the seats on the 430-foot Orlando Free Fall ride was 3.3 inches. However, the opening of the restraint for the seat used by Tyre Sampson was as much as 7.1 inches. The ride didn’t experience any mechanical or electrical failures.