By: Sofia Hasty
SANDUSKY, OHIO- A malfunction at Cedar Point, a popular amusement park in Ohio, has left a 44-year-old Michigan woman in intensive care with severe brain injury.
The incident occurred on August 15 while the woman was waiting in line for the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster. According to Yahoo! News, an L-shaped bracket about the size of a man’s hand dislodged from the back of the train car and hit her on the head.
A statement by the woman’s family thanked “everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this time.” They also added that she “is fighting for her life,” and asked for privacy as they navigate this difficult time.
Chief of the Amusement Ride Safety Division, David Miran, announced he was “terribly sorry for the woman and her family who endured this tragic event.” He explained in a Monday press briefing how the offending bracket, also called a flash plate, was supposed to hover over a series of sensors that communicated to the operating system when the coaster passed a portion of the track.
According to Miran, at some point, the bracket, instead of hovering slightly above the track, came into contact with it and broke off, striking the woman in the head. The investigation so far has shown that half of the bolts that secured the bracket were also dislodged.
Miran doesn’t believe that this issue was missed during inspection, as Top Thrill Dragster is a popular ride and has operated several cycles since the May 14 inspection. He went on to say the inspection found no major issues with the coaster but did uncover some issues that needed to be upgraded in order to bring the ride into compliance such as hydraulic upgrades and repairs to lap bars. These changes were made and the ride was subsequently ruled compliant on May 15.
Cedar Point says the park makes daily inspections of its rides. The train’s car and other pieces involved have been sent to a lab for investigation into what caused this terrible incident.
In the meantime, Top Thrill Dragster remains closed while the investigation continues. The park has already declared that it will not reopen for the rest of the year.
