Photos for Headline Surfer / The StarFlyer swing ride attraction shown above, next to the Ferris wheel, at ICON Park on International Drive, Orlando, has been temporarily shut down while officials from OSHA and the Orange County Sheriffi's Office investigate the circumstances that led to the death of a 21-year-old maintenance worker early Monday morning, who was conducting a safety check when he fell onto the platform's ride, shown left. The owners of the ride tweeted about the incident shortly after the death of Jacob David Kaminsky early Monday, who is shown below from his LinkedIn page.
Posted: 2020-09-14 - 16:54:35
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A 21-year-old maintenance worker fell to his death early on this Monday morning while conducting a daily safety check on the StarFlyer swing ride attraction, Orange County Sheriff's deputies said.
Jacob David Kaminsky was about halfway up the 450-foot swing ride, dubbed the world’s tallest swing ride, at 7:40 a.m. at ICON Park on International Drive, when he fell and landed onto the platform below, according to the OCSO.
Rescue officials said crews used a platform truck to reach Kaminsky, who went into cardiac arrest. He was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, officials said.
“It’s a shock. (We are) saddened by it," said John Stine, director of sales and marketing for StarFlyer. "Any time there is an injury or something of this nature, it’s extremely sad,” “We’re holding up and supporting each other.”
Stine said StarFlyer will remain closed while the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA )investigate Kaminsky’s death.
Kaminsky, was said to have been climbing the tower and was about halfway up -- more than 200 feet high -- while conducting a safety check when he fell, but that distance may not be accurate.
"There are some discrepancies in how far the fall was," said Ashley Gipson, spokeswoman for Orange County Fire Rescue. Deputies had said Kaminsky may have fallen more than 200 feet to his death.
"There are some discrepancies in how far the fall was," said Ashley Gipson, spokeswoman for Orange County Fire Rescue. Deputies had said Kaminsky may have fallen more than 200 feet to his death.
Gipson said investigators are now saying it is an undetermined height as they await reviews by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
The giant swing takes guests seated in pairs around in a clockwise direction for nearly four minutes at speeds reaching 45 mph.
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Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched 12 years ago that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed more than a hundred journalism industry awards in print & online -- more than all other members of the working press combined in Central Florida since the mid-1990s. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism with academic honors from Full Sail University in 2019. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary programs on Discovery ID and Reelz for his investigative reporting and cops & courts breaking news stories.