Mom recalls heartbreaking moment her 12-year-old son’s body landed in front of her after falling 100ft from a pleasure ride

THE family of a boy who tragically died in California 24 years ago have called for tighter safety measures following the recent death of a teenager in Orlando.

Joshua Smurphat’s fatal fall at Paramount Great America amusement park in 1999 was caused by a faulty harness on a drop tower ride.

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According to witnesses, Smurphat’s restraint broke during the journey, sending him to his death.

In 2022, 14-year-old Tire Sampson was killed when he fell off a similar ride operated by Orlando Slingshot.

The ride, which opened in December 2021, is said to be the tallest freestanding drop tower in the world at 430 feet tall and seats 30 riders at full capacity.

“Honestly, it brings you back. It brings you back to those moments where you find out that’s how your loved one passed away,” Smurphat’s sister Alicia O’Leary told Fox 35.

“I was standing five feet from where he fell when he died,” said Joshua’s mother, Tami Smurphat.

Smurphat filed a lawsuit against the park, alleging that they left four unsupervised youths to run the 207-foot free-fall roller coaster and disregarded calls for a safety harness to be installed between the ride’s seat and the harness.

Santa Clara County court records show the lawsuit was dismissed after a settlement was reached.

O’Leary believes the recent Orlando death could have been prevented if a belt had been used in addition to the shoulder strap.

“Personally, I think that’s something every freefall ride should have. It would have prevented my brother’s death,” she said.

Gary Winslow, who was waiting in line for the ride when Joshua died, told SFGate in 1999 that he “saw the pole fly up after the ride started braking to stop.”

“The boy kind of struggled to stay inside, then he flew out feet first, flipped like a cartwheel and fell right on his head. My sister and I ran straight to him but it was obvious he was dead. ” he said.

Amusement ride safety expert Brian Avery agrees with the family’s claim that a secondary seat belt is required.

“A secondary security system will hopefully prevent a fatality. It could end up hurting a person if they have to use it and end up catching them if the primary fails – but it should keep them contained,” Avery explained.

A family friend who was present at the time of Joshua’s death said the accident appeared to have happened when the ride’s magnetic braking system engaged more than halfway up the tower.

“As the braking system kicked in, I heard something. It sounded like a big kerchunk, like the seat belt snapping open or closed when getting in or out,” he said.