Woman Waiting to Ride Roller Coaster Hit by 'Metal Object'

Top Thrill Dragster, world's 2nd-tallest roller coaster, shut down at Ohio's Cedar Point
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 21, 2021 5:30 AM CDT
Woman Waiting to Ride Roller Coaster Hit by 'Metal Object'
This May 1, 2003, file photo shows Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster in Sandusky, Ohio.   (Daniel Miller/The Sandusky Register via AP)

The world's second-tallest roller coaster won't open again this year after a person standing in line was hit in the head by a metal object that flew off the ride last weekend at Cedar Point amusement park. The 420-foot-tall Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster will remain closed as officials from the park in Sandusky, ride experts, and state authorities investigate, Cedar Point said in a statement, per the AP. Park and state officials have released very few details about what happened, saying a female guest waiting to ride the coaster Sunday was struck by a "small metal object" that came off the coaster as it was nearing the end of its run. The female was treated at a Sandusky hospital before being moved to another facility. Her condition, age, and name haven't been released.

She could be heard screaming on body-camera footage released by police. "We will continue to offer our support to her and her family in this unimaginably difficult time," Cedar Point said in a statement Thursday. "We want to fully understand what happened and why." A report released by the Ohio Department of Agriculture's amusement ride safety division said the roller coaster was inspected in May. It showed no structural issues. The coaster, which opened in 2003, launches riders on a straightaway at 120mph before it climbs a hill and then comes back down. The ride lasts less than 20 seconds. A year after its debut, four riders were slightly injured when metal shavings sheared off the coaster's launch cable.

(More roller coasters stories.)

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