Skip to main content

“She's fighting for her life”: At Cedar Point, a woman was hit in the head by a falling roller coaster element.

ACRON, OHIO - According to state investigations, the piece of metal that struck a Cedar Point guest queuing for the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster was about the size of a human hand.

Rachel Hawes, 44, of Michigan, receives serious medical attention with traumatic brain injury as a result of the tragedy, according to the family's statement to Cleveland TV.

The message read: "We are horrified by the disaster that happened last weekend at Cedar Point." “We appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Rachel is fighting for her life and we respectfully want privacy during this difficult time. "

The news comes eight days after a horrific incident at an Ohio theme park that scared people off and Howes was seriously injured in August. 15.

According to David Miran, chief of attractions at the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the item that was moved is an "L-shaped" bracket attached to the back of the cart that looks like a dragster.

The message read: "We are terrified of the disaster that happened last weekend at Cedar Point." “We appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Rachel is fighting for her life and we respectfully want privacy during this difficult time. "

The news comes eight days after a horrific incident at an Ohio theme park that left people fleeing in line and Howes was seriously injured in August. 15.

According to David Miran, chief of attractions at the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the item that was moved is an "L-shaped" bracket attached to the back of the cart that looks like a dragster.

Miran said he called the woman's family ahead of Monday's press conference to update them on the status of an investigation into what was wrong with the cup holder.

Hawes of Schwarz Creek, Mich., Was the victim, according to an initial one-page report submitted by the state on Monday.

According to the investigation, she received "a head trauma of unknown form".

While the investigation continues, the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster at Cedar Point remains closed. This year, the park has already made it known that it will not reopen.

The steel track itself, according to Miran, shows signs of damage to the contact point of the support as the roller coaster rolled down the slope.

He could not tell how fast the train was traveling when the part came loose, although this was most likely the "maximum" travel speed.

In May, the coaster passed state certification.

The Top Thrill Dragster was recently checked by authorities on May 14 and no major issues were found.

However, the inspection revealed several deficiencies that needed to be corrected in order for the ride to meet the requirements. He could not tell how fast the train was traveling when the part came loose, although it was most likely at "maximum" travel speed. ...

In May, the coaster passed state certification.

The Top Thrill Dragster was recently checked by authorities on May 14 and no major issues were found.

However, the inspection revealed several shortcomings that needed to be corrected in order for the trip to meet the requirements.

Among the changes made were hydraulic upgrades, hydraulic powertrain upgrades and right rear crosshead cylinder repairs and a pressure plate cylinder slip test.

The upgrade was completed on May 15 and the trip was deemed appropriate.

Cedar Point is responsible for the daily inspection of the attractions.

According to Miran, the green train car, along with other evidence, has been transferred to the lab for further study.

“It's an extremely difficult trip,” he explained.

The Top Thrill Dragster was the tallest and fastest slide in the world when it launched in 2003, but the Kingda Ka Slide at the Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, broke those records in 2005.

The coaster faced challenges early on, resulting in regular shutdowns as the fleet struggled to figure out how to operate their complex hydraulic system.

Other events involving the coaster resulted in injuries, but none were as catastrophic as this one.

When the coaster opened in 2004, four passengers were injured when they were hit by shrapnel from a wire rope. There are no fatal injuries. In 2016, two passengers were injured when a coaster's launch cable came loose.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Girl, 6, who fell 120ft to her death on mine drop ride at Colorado amusement park was NOT buckled in and operators missed alarms

A six-year-old girl died after being ejected from her seat on a ride at a Colorado amusement part when the operators missed alarms.  Wongel Estifanos, of Colorado Springs, was riding the Haunted Mine Drop at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Colorado with her family when both operators missed her seatbelt that it was improperly buckled on September 5.  The ride, which drops passengers 120 feet, is equipped with a two belt seatbelt system - a neuro bar and a standard seatbelt - to keep riders safe. It is not equipped with a shoulder harness.  The Garfield County Coroner's Office said the little girl died from multiple blunt force injuries after being ejected from the ride because operators failed to notice that she was sitting on her seatbelts.  Wongel Estifanos, six, of Colorado Springs , was riding the Haunted Mine Drop at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Colorado when both operators missed her seatbelt being improperly buckled on September 5 The Haunted Mine Drop drops riders ...

NYC public school teachers make emergency Supreme Court application to block Mayor Bill de Blasio's COVID-19 vaccine mandate from going into effect at 5pm Friday

New York City public school teachers have asked the Supreme Court for an emergency order to block Mayor Bill de Blasio's COVID-19 vaccine mandate from going into effect Friday.  The group of four teachers sent a petition to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor arguing that the mandate not only places an 'unconstitutional burden' on the city's 148,000 school workers, but also 'threatens the education of thousands of children.'  The petition argues that their rights are being violated because they do not have the option to undergo regular COVID-19 testing instead of getting the shot. Other essential workers - including NYPD cops - have been given that testing option instead. Teachers across all public schools in the Big Apple have up until 5pm Friday to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk losing their jobs.  When the school day starts the following Monday - October 4 - all teachers and staff arriving for work across the city's public schools must have rec...

Policeman who shot dead a knife-wielding Indigenous mother in the street was not a 'trigger-happy' officer, murder trial hears

The murder trial of a policeman who shot dead an Indigenous woman on a suburban West Australian street is set to hear further witness evidence. As many as 60 people could be called to testify in the WA Supreme Court trial of the first-class constable, whose cannot be named for legal reasons. He has pleaded not guilty to murdering the 29-year-old woman, known as JC for cultural reasons, in the Mid West town of Geraldton on September 17, 2019. JC, a mother-of-one, had experienced mental health and drug problems and recently been released from prison before her death. The accused was one of eight police officers who arrived at the scene after JC was spotted with a large knife and a pair of scissors. Family and supporters of a woman, referred to as 'JC' at family's request, leave the District Court of West Australia in Perth As the trial got underway on Tuesday, the jury was shown confronting CCTV footage of JC being shot while surrounded by four police vehicles. Director of Pu...