Photo: Paul M Walsh/AP/Shutterstock
On Tuesday, Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio,announcedthe 420-foot-tall Top Thrill Dragster coaster would be retired.
“After 19 seasons in operation with 18 million riders experiencing the world’s first strata coaster, Top Thrill Dragster, as you know it, is being retired,” the company said in a statement. They did not disclose whether the accident led directly to the closure.
“However, Cedar Point’s legacy of ride innovation continues. Our team is hard at work, creating a new and reimagined ride experience,” the statement continued. The park will release more details about the new attraction at a later date.
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Opened in 2003, the Top Thrill Dragster is a strata roller coaster thatreaches a top speed of 120 miles per hour in just 3.8 seconds, the Cedar Point website previously stated.
The Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster at Cedar Point.cedar point
In the wake of the incident, two inspectors from the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) were called to the amusement park, where they performed an inspection of the ride and investigation of the accident, according to Fox affiliateWJW.
State investigations later confirmed that the piece of metal that struck Hawes was about the size of “a man’s hand,” theJournalreported.
The investigation also determined that the piece was an “L-shaped” bracket that was connected to the back of the ride car and supposed to hover over the track, David Miran, the ODA’s chief of amusement rides, told the outlet.
Ina statement posted on Facebookfollowing the accident, Cedar Point announced that they would investigate the accident fully.
“Our team has the health and welfare of our guest who was involved in Sunday’s incident at Top Thrill Dragster at the forefront of our minds,” the statement read. “We will continue to offer our support to her and her family in this unimaginably difficult time.”
“We want to fully understand what happened and why. Together with the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture’s Division of Amusement Ride Safety & Fairs, third party investigators, engineers and the ride’s manufacturer, we are being careful, methodical and thorough,” the company continued. “We will not rush the investigation and will work tirelessly in our search for answers in the interest of improving safety. This process will take time.”
The ride has remained closed since the accident; however, the state’s investigation found no evidence that the park acted illegally or had reason to believe the ride was unsafe, according to theAssociated Press.
source: people.com
