Dollywood Closes Ride After Florida Amusement Park Tragedy

The following article, Dollywood Closes Ride After Florida Amusement Park Tragedy, was first published on Flag And Cross.

Amusement park rides have long straddled the line between comfort and discomfort, and between thrills and spills, but that’s not the only line that they find themselves splayed across.

These rides must be nerve-wracking to be effective, and the more implied danger there is, the higher the hair raises as we ride them.

But, after a tragic death at a Florida park, Tennessee’s Dollywood is taking drastic action in order to prevent any further danger.

Dollywood is closing one of their rides which was developed from the same manufacturer as the Orlando FreeFall ride in Orlando, Florida, where one 14-year-old fell and died on Thursday night.

Tyre Sampson, 14, fell off of the FreeFall ride at Orlando’s ICON Park on Thursday night. The ride is 430-feet-tall, according to the attraction. The ride is operated by the SlingShot Group of Companies.

The park wasn’t going to take any chance.

In a statement a spokesperson for Dollywood said that that their “Drop Line” ride was developed by the same manufacturer as the Orlando FreeFall ride, and said it will be closed “out of an abundance of caution,” according to WATE.

“Although Dollywood does not have the specific ride involved in this tragic incident, the safety of our guests is our top priority. Out of an abundance of caution, and until further details about the accident at ICON Park are known, we have temporarily closed Drop Line, our drop tower ride that was developed by the same manufacturer,” the spokesperson said.

The ride manufacturer has stated that they are cooperating fully with the investigation into Sampson’s death.

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