Top Thrill Dragster. Log In Sign Up. No one knows, he responded. THE world's second tallest rollercoaster has been closed forever after a woman waiting in line was hit on the head by a metal bracket. There may be reasons for the silence, including medical and ethical privacy concerns. Disneyland To Welcome Back The Original E.P. About 6% of the injuries were reported to be serious, resulting in a fatality or an immediate admission and hospitalization in excess of 24 hours. [23] An investigation by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) determined that half of the bolts securing the plate dislodged. [29][30] When it closed, Top Thrill Dragster had accommodated 18million riders over 19 seasons. The report said she had an "unknown type of head injury.". She, too, was hit by a flying metal object that came off a ride but it took years for the park to admit its role, he said. [4] The concrete footings were kept hidden behind a fence when the park opened for the 2002 season. 32 . Rides & Experiences. Because the incident is still under investigation, the ride remains closed and there is no additional information to share at this time.. Updated: 7:19 PM EDT August 15, 2021 SANDUSKY, Ohio A "female guest" was taken to the hospital on Sunday afternoon after a "small metal object" came off of the Top Thrill Dragster roller . A hole in the ground where the Top Thrill Dragster queue used to stand. [19], On August 7, 2016, two people were treated for minor injuries when the launch cable detached from the ride. In 2019, an estimated 1,294 injuries were reported across 131 parks, the equivalent of approximately 0.8 injuries per 1 million rides. 2's right rear lap-bar cylinder soft repair and a lap bar cylinder creep test. SANDUSKY, Ohio (WOIO) - Cedar Point announced today that the Top Thrill Dragster will remain closed for the 2021 season following an incident where a guest was injured by an object that fell. Start your free trial TODAY so you can watch Alive about Eric LeMarque's survival in the Sierra Nevada wilderness, and the rest of MagellanTVs history collection: https://www.magellantv.com/watch/alive?type=e\u0026episode=mammoth-mountain-miracle-manThe in-depth story of Top Thrill Dragster Accident 2021. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 3. None of the injuries were life threatening. A maintenance worker, who the Sandusky police officer gave the bolt to, asked the deputy what happened to the piece that hit the woman. It was just scary, Leppo said. Prior to the accident, the Top Thrill Dragster was last inspected by the state on May 14 and no major issues were found. BODY CAM: Watch the chaotic scene at Cedar Point after a woman was hit by a piece of metal that came off the Top Thrill Dragster on Sunday. New in 2024. cshoup@gannett.com. Adding a Multi-launch system which could then include a roll-back. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. You fix it. It just was a problematic ride, one thing after another, said Speigel, a former Kings Island executive. There was something like this big that came off, he said while holding his hands in a round shape that was about the size of a football. Ryan Leppo was also standing in line for the roller coaster when he saw the object fly through the air from the ride. The news came eight days after the horrifying incident at the Sandusky amusement park that sent people in linescrambling for safety and Hawes seriously injured on Aug. 15. The woman, who was hit in the head, was transported to Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky. The investigation has found that half of the bolts thatsecured the bracket to the train body had also dislodged. This could be seen as a reference to Formula One racing (and, perhaps accidentally, to the worlds fastest roller coaster, Intamins Formula Rossa in Abu Dhabi). AKRON, Ohio The piece of metal that struck a Cedar Point amusement parkguest waiting in line for the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster was about the size of "a man's hand," according to state investigations. Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Because the incident is still under investigation, the ride remains closed and there is no additional information to share at this time.. [31] Prior to the end of Cedar Point's operating season, parts of the roller coaster's track near the station were dismantled. People who live in Sandusky still couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that such an accident happened. [28][29] Officials did not provide further details other than stating they were working on a "new and reimagined ride experience". It came, hit the top of one of those things and shot downwards.. [32] On January 9, 2023, Cedar Point announced on social media that the ride would reopen in 2024 under the tagline "A New Formula For Thrills", although the park did not release any other information at that time. David Miran, the Ohio Department of Agriculture's chief ofamusementrides, announced Monday thepiece that became dislodged is an "L-shaped" bracket attached to the back of the train car designed to look like dragster. Miran said the green train's car and other pieces of evidence have been sent to a lab for further investigation. [22] The piece was later determined to be a flag plate an L-shaped bracket that signals the train's location to sensors positioned along the track. This typically happened in cool, wet, or breezy weather, or when the wind was working against it. Photo: cedar point. [33], On July 14, 2004, four people were struck by flying debris while riding the coaster. Reports indicated that a metal cable frayed during launch, shearing off shards of metal that struck the riders. The ride is inspected regularly -- by Cedar Point staff, the parks insurance company and the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which oversees ride safety in the state. Rachel Hawes is a 44 year old woman from Swartz Creek, Michigan. Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster Media Story", "Cedar Point To Build Major New Thrill Ride For 2003 Season", "Top Thrill Dragster: Race for the Sky | Cedar Point", "Cedar Point makes good on its bet with 'Top Thrill Cubster' in honor of Chicago Cubs' World Series win over Indians (Video)", "Cedar Point opening day preview: Face masks, social distancing, HalloWeekends and more", "Cedar Point says Top Thrill Dragster, involved in serious accident, will remain closed for 2021", "ODA provides update on Top Thrill Dragster incident", "No laws broken in Cedar Point Top Thrill Dragster mishap that severely injured woman", "Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster, involved in August accident, will remain closed in 2022", "One of Cedar Point's most popular rides will be shut down for the 2022 season", "Cedar Point to retire Top Thrill Dragster", "Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point being retired, officials say", "Cedar Point permanently closing Top Thrill Dragster, world's second-tallest roller coaster", "Cedar Point's newest coaster starting to take shape along the Lake Erie shoreline", "Record Holders (Statistic: Height, Type: Steel)", "Record Holders (Statistic: Speed, Type: Steel)", "Record Holders (Statistic: Drop, Type: Steel)", "Hydraulic launched roller coasters at RCDB", "Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster still closed, undergoing maintenance", "Top Thrill Dragster closed for 2022 season", "Cedar Point is shutting down Top Thrill Dragster for good", "Top Thrill Dragster to be retired from Cedar Point", Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Top_Thrill_Dragster&oldid=1142142857, Articles with dead YouTube links from February 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from January 2023, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Four guests riding the coaster were hurt in 2004 when they were struck by metal shards from a metal cable during the launch. Using a new LSM Launch system to make Top Thrill Dragster go faster than Kinda Ka's current record of 0 to 128mph in 3.5 seconds. From 2021:Woman at Cedar Point struck in the head by falling roller coaster piece. It is the tallest roller coaster with 130 meters in height. The launch system uses a very geared up motor capable of hitting 5850 rotations per . They handled the report.. piece of metal that struck a Cedar Point guest, Theodore Decker: Cedar Point betrays its customers through silence after amusement park injury, Body cam footage shows Cedar Point guest screaming in agony, Cedar Points top roller coasters, attractions over the years, Five days later: Cedar Point offers no updates on injured woman, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. All rights reserved. UPDATE February 13 -The ongoing story of Top Thrill Dragster's reimagining is indeed an exciting one and we are pleased to be closely following its progress. Photos:Cedar Points top roller coasters, attractions over the years, Cedar Point accident:Five days later: Cedar Point offers no updates on injured woman. The Post has sought comment from her family. The amusement park teased that Top Thrill Dragster will return with "a new formula" in 2024. There is a continued debate whether Intamin is involved in the reimagining of Top Thrill Dragster? Female waiting in line injured after metal object falls from Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point August 16, 2021, 3:49 AM A female guest was transported to a nearby hospital Sunday. WARNING: Some viewers may find this video disturbing. If all their paperwork was in order and it was a freak accident, I dont think anything should happen to them, said Yohe. Top Thrill Dragster has been closed since the incident occurred on Aug. "Mechanics: Work; Energy and Power Study Guide Prahle The Top. As of January9, 2023[update], the roller coaster is scheduled to reopen in 2024.[2]. Based on my knowledge and experience, if something comes off a roller coaster, that suggests to me a maintenance issue, said Martin, with KRM Consulting in Virginia. The Ohio Department of Agriculture released a 620-page report on Friday, explaining their investigation into Cedar Points popular rollercoaster, the Top Thrill Dragster. The bracket which was attached by bolts is supposed to hover just over the trackand a series of sensors that keeps tabs on the coaster as it makes its way at breakneck speed up and over a 420-foot-tall hill in 17 seconds. Miran said prior to Monday afternoon's press briefing he contacted the woman's family to update them on the status of the investigation into what went wrong with the coaster that has been around since 2003. An actual Top Fuel dragster weighs approximately one ton, while each train on the coaster weighed 15 tons. The state on Monday released the one-page initialincident report, which identified the victim as Hawes ofSwartz Creek, Michigan, near Flint. I think its a shock that something would happen like that. The accident has left 44-year-old Rachel Hawes of Michigan in intensive care with a brain . A state investigation found no evidence that the park acted illegally or had reason to believe the ride was unsafe. The ODA said their investigation included a post-accident inspection of the ride, interviews with Cedar Point staff, a review of thousands of pages of maintenance records, witness interviews, and lab reports. A range of photos were leaked online before Christmas of the current Top Thrill Dragster site. I checked everything we could. They will do a thorough inspection, looking over every square inch of the ride to find out how and why it occurred.. The ride that dominates the Sandusky. Top Thrill Dragster is the fourth-fastest roller coaster in the world and takes riders from 0 to 120 mph in 3.8 seconds as they're launched 420 feet in the air. Check out the rumors that are currently swirling below of what we may see in the reimagining and we will keep you posted with further updates when they are revealed on our news and Facebook page. The 45-year-old, of Swartz Creek, Michigan, was left with serious brain injuriesafter being hit while waiting to board the ride. On Wednesday afternoon, he said the incident is still under investigation. AKRON, Ohio The piece of metal that struck a Cedar Point amusement park guest waiting in line for the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster was about the size of "a man's hand," according to state investigations. The investigation has found that half of the bolts thatsecured the bracket to the train body had also dislodged. Published: 4:20 PM EDT August 23, 2021. Top Thrill Dragster is one of Cedar Point's biggest and most popular rides so we originally assumed that Cedar Point would be keen to get the reimagining completed as soon as possible and the ride open again in 2023. Top Thrill Dragster At Cedar Point Will Return in 2024, Here Is How It Currently Looks! Co-founder of the site alongside her amazing Husband Nick who had the vision and inspiration to create Theme Park Tourist from scratch. Write this down, he said during a recent phone interview. January 10 - Since September 2022 when it was confirmed that this legendary coaster would indeed be reimagined, all eyes have been on Cedar Point and the construction progress of the iconic Top Thrill Dragster. When this happened, a mechanic took the elevator to the top and pushed the train down the hill.[37]. It doesn't appear that there are plans for an extended layout which was originally speculated. The visitant was clinging tight in line for the Top Thrill Dragster thrilling ride around 4:30 in the early evening when she was harmed, a Cedar Point representative affirmed. Copyright 2022 WOIO. Ken Martin, an amusement park safety expert, suspects a maintenance failure is responsible for the accident. The decision comes a year after the metal flew off the 420-foot tall coaster in Sandusky and seriously injured Rachel Hawes.