On July 17, 2021, a man climbed to the top of the Supreme Scream tower, prompting the temporary closure of most of the park's attractions and surrounding streets. Brake run supports remain whilst the rest have been removed and the track for the legendary Top hat track also remains. The Top Thrill Dragster coaster at Cedar Point remains closed while the investigation continues. Its going to take them a while to do the forensics, said Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services. It then launched, accelerating to a speed of 120mph (190km/h) in 3.8 seconds. The Cedar Point amusement park in Ohio has shut down the Top Thrill Dragster, the second tallest roller coaster in the world, a year after a woman was seriously injured when a metal bracket fell off the ride and hit her in the back of the head. In February, state investigators determined the amusement park in Sandusky was not responsible for what was determined to be an accident. "We want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this time. And in 2016, two guests were injured when a launch cable detached from the coaster. A hydraulic launch system speeds riders from zero to 120 mph. Her family said in a statement at the time: "We want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this time. The woman named Rachel Hawes was 44 years old and was waiting in the queue of the Trump deal . If all their paperwork was in order and it was a freak accident, I dont think anything should happen to them, said Yohe. Just like the waterslide in Kansas.. In 2004, four riders sustained minor injuries after they were hit by small pieces of metal during the launch; in 2016, two riders were treated for minor injuries after a cable became detached, according to news reports. But the ride has remained closed since the August 15, 2021 accident. 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. How can you protect somebody standing in line?, Dennis Speigel, an industry consultant, said hes confident Cedar Point will figure out what went wrong and will fix it. [6] Track pieces identified as Intamin were previously spotted near Mean Streak. The Cedar Point amusement park is located in Sandusky, Ohio and has been in operation since 1870. Sucks that Dragster will be closed longer. Rides & Experiences. Kingda Ka opened two years later at Six Flags Great Adventure and broke both of Top Thrill Dragster's records, boasting a height of 456 feet (139m) and a top speed of 128 miles per hour (206km/h). All rights reserved (About Us). Photo: Tyler Buchanan/Axios There is a strong possibility that Zamperla and involved in the reimagining as they are currently retrofitting another Intamin accelerator coaster with LSM track. Top Thrill Dragster is among the fastest rollercoaster with a speed reaching up to 120 MPH. The inspection did, however, find some issues that needed to be upgraded to bring the ride into compliance. Top Thrill Dragster has been closed since the incident occurred on Aug. "Mechanics: Work; Energy and Power Study Guide Prahle The Top. She was initially taken to the Firelands Medical Center but later transported to St. Vincent's Hospital in Toledo. It doesn't appear that there are plans for an extended layout which was originally speculated. A range of photos were leaked online before Christmas of the current Top Thrill Dragster site. Tony Clark, a Cedar Point spokesperson didnt respond to another request for an update on the investigation into the ride Tuesday. Target of 130-135mph could maybe be feasible. The statement said that a small metal object fell off a Top Thrill Dragster train as it was ending its run and hit a female guest who was standing in the ride queue. But the companys failure to communicate is causing widespread speculation on social media. Cedar Point, an amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, announced . See a spelling or grammar error in our story? 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. The decision comes a year after the metal flew off the 420-foot tall coaster in Sandusky and seriously injured Rachel Hawes. Cedar Point amusement park in Ohio announced on Tuesday it would be permanently closing the Top Thrill Dragster. 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. A large crane is on site and more launch track has now been removed. There may be reasons for the silence, including medical and ethical privacy concerns. Published: 4:20 PM EDT August 23, 2021. Cedar Fair Means Business With Announced $200 Million Annual Capital Spend, Track Completed For New Wild Mouse Roller Coaster Coming To Cedar Point 2023, Brand New Intamin Vertical Launch Coaster Could Revolutionize Guest Experience. However, although work appears to be progressing well we now know for certain that Top Thrill Dragster will remain closed for the . [2] The ride opened on May 4, 2003 as the first complete circuit roller coaster to exceed 400 feet in height. SANDUSKY, Ohio (WTVG) - Sandusky Police bodycam video from Cedar Point shows some of the chaotic moments after a woman was hit by a metal object that flew off the roller coaster she was in line to ride. Park staff appear in the video to administer first aid as Sandusky police officers and firefighters arrive with a gurney to transport her to the hospital. [10] To construct the roller coaster, the park used five cranes, two of which were 480-foot (150m) tall. r/DeathObituaries. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. We are one ofthe worlds largest theme park guide sites, hosting detailed guides to more than 80 theme parks around the globe. Miran said the steel track itself shows signs of damage where the bracket made contact as the coaster train made its way down the hill. Please help me, she screamed as she was wheeled out of the ride area. Well this led to theme park fans speculating as to what Cedar Point has got planned. In August 2021, a 44-year-old Michigan woman Rachel Hawes was badly hurt when a metal bracket fell off the Top Thrill Dragster rollercoaster and hit her in the back of her head. Updated: 7:10 PM EST February 18, 2022 SANDUSKY, Ohio Cedar Point was cleared of any legal wrongdoing Friday in the accident that led to a woman being seriously injured last summer when a piece. Top Thrill is well known among coaster fans for being temperamental and maintenance-heavy, with long periods out of commission. State investigations say the piece of metal that struck a Cedar Point guest waiting in line for the park's Top Thrill Dragster was about the size of "a man's hand.". Bodycam footage shows the scene at Cedar Point after metal object hits woman at Top Thrill Dragster - YouTube Bodycam footage shows the scene at Cedar Point after metal object hits woman at. A . August 16, 2021 8:25 AM A woman was injured Sunday when a metal object detached from Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point and struck her in the face. A brief message was played to the riders before the launch: "Keep arms down, head back, and hold on." Top Thrill Dragster is one of the parks most thrilling and popular rides, with a top speed of 120 mph and height of 420 feet. A forty-four-year-old woman in Michigan suffered a brain injury after being struck in the head by an "L-shaped" bracket that detached from the 420-foot ride, the second-tallest roller coaster in the world. [19], On August 7, 2016, two people were treated for minor injuries when the launch cable detached from the ride. The ride goesfrom standstill to 120 mph in just3.8 seconds. Dodonpa held the record previously with a top speed of 107mph (172km/h). The ODA said the purpose of their investigation was not to determine the cause of the accident, just to make sure the amusement park followed all the laws in place to ensure the rollercoasters safety. After all that, they say they found no evidence to indicate that Cedar Point knew the Top Thrill Dragster ride was unsafe or could cause a hazard to the public. We dont know what it was. pic.twitter.com/pMPsB2rKxg. The speed record was again broken in 2010 by Formula Rossa at Ferrari World, which reaches a maximum speed of 149.1mph (240.0km/h). Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows (except for the first car), for a total of 18 riders per train. We all saw it fly off. Twitter. 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. October 18 - We are closely following the progress of the eagerly awaited Top Thrill Dragster reimagining which was first announced back in September. [23] Cedar Point announced that the coaster would be closed for the remainder of the season. Top Thrill Dragster . If this was possible and the height could be increased above 418ft then Top Thrill Dragster would take back the record from Kingda Ka of being the tallest stratocoaster in North America. 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. [8] Officials for the park stated the goal was to build "the tallest and fastest roller coaster on earth", reaching 420 feet (130m) in height and accelerating up to 120mph (190km/h) in 4 seconds. The transfer tracks that sat between the launch track and the inner queue have also been removed. They will do a thorough inspection, looking over every square inch of the ride to find out how and why it occurred.. The large crane which was previously on site has now been reported to have gone. Prior to the accident, the Top Thrill Dragster was last inspected by the state on May 14 and no major issues were found. It happened around 4:30 p.m. Sunday as the woman was standing in line for the Top Thrill Dragster, when the piece came loose from a train on the coaster as it was ending its run, Cedar Point. From 2021:Woman at Cedar Point struck in the head by falling roller coaster piece. Top Thrill Dragster reaches a height of 420 feet (130m), a maximum speed of 120mph (190km/h), and features a total track length of 2,800 feet (850m). Photos:Cedar Points top roller coasters, attractions over the years, Cedar Point accident:Five days later: Cedar Point offers no updates on injured woman. It is thought that the old track will be re-used with new LSM launches being put on and retro fitted. All rights reserved. A hospital spokesman said she was then transferred to another facility. According to the ODA, the last inspection of the Top Thrill Dragster was completed on May 14, 2021, by four ODA inspectors, WJW Fox8 News reported. [18] Shortly after it opened, a faulty valve on the hydraulic system caused a short-term closure. Top Thrill Dragster is one of the park's most popular, but also most temperamental roller coasters. The 45-year-old, of Swartz Creek, Michigan, was left with serious brain injuriesafter being hit while waiting to board the ride. A six-month-long investigation found that the amusement park is not responsible for the Top Thrill Dragster mishap that left a Michigan woman with brain damage. Our theme park guides contain reviews and ratings of rides, restaurants and hotels at more than 80 theme parks worldwide. When this happened, a mechanic took the elevator to the top and pushed the train down the hill.[37].