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.
“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,” Cedar Point spokesperson Tony Clark tweeted on Tuesday.
The 420-foot high roller coaster, which reached speeds of 120 mph, has been closed since Aug. 15, 2021 — when Rachel Hawes, 45, of Swartz Creek, Mich., sustained severe brain injuries caused by a flying L-shaped piece of metal about the size of a human hand that dislodged from one of the trains.
Hawes was waiting in line to board the roller coaster. She was rushed to a hospital in Toledo for treatment.
Hawes survived, though there have been no updated reports on her condition. The Post has sought comment from her family.
In February, state investigators determined the amusement park in Sandusky was not responsible for what was determined to be an accident.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture released a 620-page report which found that Cedar Point did not violate state laws.
The Top Thrill Dragster gained fame for reaching speeds of 120 mph in just 3.8 seconds.
“Riders are launched in the blink of an eye before sprinting straight up at a 90-degree incline,” read the description of the ride on the theme park’s website.
“We aren’t kidding when we say that this high-octane sprint to the checkered flag knows a thing or twenty about horsepower.”
At the time it opened in 2003, it was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. But it was later eclipsed by the Kingda Ka ride at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey.
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