What Caused The Top Thrill Dragster Accident At Cedar Point (Outdated)

During a mid-Sunday in August, Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point suffered from an accident. Were a woman standing in line was hit by a piece of metal that fell off the green train. She was immediately treated at the emergency room and Top Thrill Dragster has been closed since. Now I have said roller coaster accidents are rare, and they are. However, they can still happen from time to time for very specific reasons. Although we still don't understand all the details of what happened. But I still think I was able to explain a possible scenario for how the accident occurred. So watch and see how I figure out what went happened on the second tallest coaster in the world.
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[@GreatAmericanCoaster]

Update: The flag plate I portrayed in the video is inaccurate (3:10). The image that showed the flag plate (3:05) is apparently the entire piece. Supposedly, it came in contact with the track instead of the brake fin. Tolerance still applies. Other issues could have been the bolts that held it in place were degraded from the winter elements. This led to the flag plate disconnecting, however, this is not a sworn statement from the park. There is still more information to come from Cedar Point so only time will tell until we get the full details.

[@nicholas6828]

This update pretty much sums it up but you can see wear marks where the beveled bolts were possibly spinning due to being loose. This looks to be a mechanical issue that may have been over looked. Loose Bolts can stay in place sometimes depending on the forces exerted on the threads or the nut holding the bolt bit most cases they come right off

[@timholmes5832]

All parks should be explicitly transparent when incidents occur, being open is a sign of accountability, responsibility and strength not weakness. Cedar Point…. Be the leader that you are. All my best well wishes to the person whom was injured….. a speedy recovery. 👍

[@arcade_matt]

It's probably being investigated. These things can take time, can't expect immediate answers. Your comment was maybe a week or two after this happened - Cedar Point doesn't want to just spew something out if they aren't 100% sure about it. I'm sure they'll be transparent when the investigation is finished and they have all the answers.

[@pattyn.974]

@@arcade_matt nope, I was just there after this and I spoke with an employee and he said that they were told NOT to speak about it. Cedar point hides or "quiets" their accidents.

[@touchblackproductions2559]

Try telling that to Disney they had deaths in the park and their way around it is not letting the emergency team pronounce the person dead until they're off the park grounds

[@coreystack5655]

@@arcade_matt yooo arcade matt!! Lol love your vids

[@jellyjen403]

Cedar points pretty good on accidents they usually have no accidents. They check all seats twice

[@hokyman]

Actually, I expect Cedar Point to be absolutely clear about this. Whenever there's an incident such as this, most parks are honest about what went wrong and how they're going to fix it for the future. Even when something like that deadly accident on New Texas Giant happened, we were told specifically it was due to the lack of a secondary restraint. This was said despite the finger pointing between Six Flags and Gerstlauer. So yes, I expect that we will get the full details on what happened, how Cedar Point is going to make sure it doesn't happen again, and a huge apology for it happening in the first place. Lying about it or not discussing it will actually hurt their reputation more than telling the truth. And it's the modus operandi for the vast majority park incidents involving injury or death in the US. Not to mention, the state will put out a public report on it either way. So Cedar Point really can't lie or cover this up even if they wanted to.

[@ToomanyFrancis]

Thoosies just don't understand that this stuff takes time. Cedar Fair is almost certainly investigating what happened thoroughly. If they don't make an official statement it will hurt their reputation far more than if they admit fault.

[@woke1497]

@@ToomanyFrancis shut em down. Lol Shut the park down Shady stuff going

[@jcspaz4l]

You forget people have the attention span of rocks.......aren't we still wondering why a server location was EMPd? Or what happened at Mandalay bay? Or why Benghazi diplomats were left to die? Or even as recently watching afghan civilians falling off airborne planes? Or how Seth rich was accidental killed during a robbery but his key, coat, phone, wallet, cash, expensive brietling watch all remained? I could do this for hours........people only care about the here and now and refuse to hold governments and corporations accountable because we are stupid children who don't pay attention and demand the receipts...... Joe Biden said it best *"Oh comon man, that was like four or five days ago"*

[@rhondalord3818]

When there is a product recall it doesn't happen overnight. There are investigations into what happened, and why it happened. It's not an overnight decision. Why not allow cp the same opportunity?

[@VampKat]

@@walterwolansky2685 what?

[@domio1717]

As a mechanical engineer, your explanation is pretty solid. I would say that a multiple things happened to cause something like this. The most likely thing is that the ride sat for a year or more because of covid. This could cause a multitude of things that could cause this, brake fins out of tolerance, poor maintenance procedures, wheels being out of tolerance, etc. nice video tho!

[@matthewgregory2794]

The ride didn't sit for covid. Cedar point opened the second week of July 2020, had TTD up and running before August 2020

[@barttrobe7396]

Woah, this video was a lot more detailed than I thought. You've done it again GAC.

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

I've ignored all other videos discussing this, because all we can do is guess at this point. But with how you're always positive and encouraging to your audience, I was willing to watch yours.

[@fondfarewell2]

Good story bro 👏

[@matthewgregory2794]

Positive and encouraging? Did you listen to ANY of this video? It's negative, arrogant, speculation, opinion, and a bunch of "I don't know" There's nothing positive and encouraging here. 8 minutes of my life I'm never getting back, learned literally NOTHING.

[@thomasmaddams5605]

I'm a mechanical engineer by trade, and your explanation sounds perfect to what makes sense has happened. Engineers doing pre day dispatch checks at fault in my opinion

[@brianhandwork9762]

Need to put a line of paint all the way down every bolt on to the surface. That way it is obvious if a bolt worked it's way loose.

[@kalabash72]

They should of just welded it in place. The item doesn't look like that it requires maintenance. Why not just make it permanent?

[@zgrif]

@@kalabash72 might not require maintenance but it seems to be the type of thing that requires replacement

[@kumaxhime]

As an Ohioan I've been to Cedar Point many times, and I've been on Top Thrill Dragster a handful. The ride honestly isn't worth the huge wait to me, as it's over so quick (I think in around 15 seconds?) that it's more of a headache than fun. Plus there have been instances where trains roll back due to not enough speed to get up the hill, or get stuck on the top. And now with this incident, it's a big nah from me.

[@justintaylor4941]

I was about 20 feet away from that lady when this happened.. it was crazy.. everyone thought it was a cell phone but now we know better.. my thoughts are with that poor woman

[@BrickWorks19]

Cut the bullshit u wernt there u just described what was said in the video

[@andyman2462]

That's sad. I heard she is still fighting for her life. She got messed up. Sorry you had to witness it.

[@justintaylor4941]

@@andyman2462 yea I've been trying to keep up on this but finding anymore details has been hard..

[@justintaylor4941]

@@BrickWorks19 lol ok

[@BonazaiGirl]

That’s got to be scary. I hope she recovers. That had to be terrifying for something that sudden to happen. I hope you still had a good trip otherwise despite the incident.

[@db90990]

The view of lake Erie atop top thrill dragster is FanTastic!!

[@user-ql9jz7vt6b]

This is just what I needed for a school project. Thanks!!

[@Wild_D]

WOW. This is amazing! Keep up the good work

[@rcbif101]

3:08 - A quick google search and trip to reddit shows what the part looks like bolted to the train, and that is the complete bracket in the picture being held. One of the bolts likely vibrated loose, letting the plate swing out of place and strike something on the track shearing off the other bolt and releasing the plate.

[@CivilDefenseSoutherner]

I went to Cedar Point in July of 2021 with my dad and friends. A great time going back there after 6 years, and a great experience! I skipped the Top Thrill Dragster, but my friends went on it. That ride was very loud whenever I walk past it, and how intense it was!

[@neevchilkuri1361]

Same except I went to six flags

[@devontafranklin5068]

I was there this day in the raptor line. I had no clue this had happened until a day later. I hope this woman recovered.

[@hypertube81]

Top Thrill isn't closing until the train derails and fatalities occur. One in a hundred million.

[@jdssurf]

So someday that will happen? Lol I ain’t riding it now

[@Jay-rc5ix]

I went to Cedar Point on a trip to Ohio before covid and honestly thoroughly enjoyed the Dragster, but incidents like this make me glad I hadn't gone more than once

[@mtmcommunity]

Sucks when huge rides don't get everything checked good enough since it's so popular and not much time in between breaks where they have huge enough teams to break it down during covid-19 probably. I mean it's all around messed up, I just hope every coaster everywhere checks up on their coasters now

[@stopthesniff8676]

I’m going there Thursday, I haven’t been there in 20 years, don’t bring me down

[@kristinaramowicz7338]

The words you said to the victim bring tears to my eyes 🥲

[@TheKurtsPlaceChannel]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting this. Have a nice day now.

[@dubvuchyea502]

It's about time someone covered this

[@minecraftefdos1255]

I went to cedar point this summer and was excited to go on the ride, but unfortunately it was closed, at least i could go on Millennium force, and that was a blast!

[@haydfors]

Did you do Steel Vengeance??

[@Largebutnotincharge]

I've been going to Cedar Point since I was a kid.... I grew up in NW Ohio. To me as I got older I've noticed neglect in the park. You go on a day off work to ride rides, but they go down so much more now. They can say it's lack of staffing but I can assure you that someone who is interested enough will want to work and maintain the rides the best they can. And what's even crazier is that it's not the old rides like corkscrew, Magnum and Gemini going down.... It's the new rides like valravn, gatekeeper, and steel vengeance going down most times. Later in the season millennium went down several times a day to take the cars under the station, must likely routine maintenance but I shouldn't see every car go under the station while I'm in line for 90 minutes. Top Thrill is probably, in my own opinion, one of the most complex coasters in that Park. There are so many parts and things on that ride it's constantly down. What they need to do is truly invest in the rides and customers

[@junegoddard4996]

No

[@bassjasinski]

Hope the mechanics didn’t forget red loctite on the bolts, that would be incompetence and very sad.

[@nataliesalisbury7919]

Metal detector isn’t a big stretch. Steel Vengeance already has one, so why not?

[@bengrim420]

The piece that fell off was a part of the ride and not something someone took on the ride. A metal detector would not have prevented this.

[@slimer2135]

Because the steel Vengeance metal detectors are really annoying. I mean yeah it works. But that's also because steel Vengeance had tons of phones fly off of people when it first opened. Dragster doesn't have that happen nearly as much

[@haydfors]

@@slimer2135 all that airtime 🤣

[@touchblackproductions2559]

It was off the train itself.. it would help if you actually watch the video 🙄

[@leroybrown96]

@@touchblackproductions2559 he literally mentions talking about a detector for dragster in the video

[@magnussjolander5747]

The quality of your work is outstanding. Thank you GAC🙏

[@rcbif101]

Not really quality when he's assuming what stuff looks like and just rolling with it when there are actually pictures of the bracket mounted to the train on reddit for the past week or more. A quick google search would have eliminated his assumptions.

[@magnussjolander5747]

@@rcbif101 well, that’s your opinion. I still like his work :)

[@rcbif101]

@@magnussjolander5747 - It's not my opinion, its fact. He didnt do his research and breezed past factual information already out there to give you his assumptions.

[@SKANK_HUNT49]

This ride should close and never be reopened. I hope she gets 10 million dollars

[@bearbear-hf7cn]

Dang. First wicked twister is gone and now you can’t go on this ride for a while. Really sad about the death

[@hanselmanryanjames]

She didn't die.

[@bearbear-hf7cn]

@@hanselmanryanjames I was lied to

[@bigred3164]

Great video. Can't wait to hear what Coaster College is gonna say, if anything. Very well done. I subbed, so get ready to see a flurry of comments from me soon! Happy riding!

[@ckilbarger01]

"Top Thrill Dragster will open again next year and then break down a lot because it's TTD" So true though in all fairness they can't open it if it's too windy and they did build the park right by Lake Erie where there's constantly a breeze/wind coming off the lake

[@steveo7771286]

There are far worse places for wind, trust me. That thing would never open if it were in the upper Midwest.

[@deathdefying1472]

What’s crazy is that I rode this ride a month ago when I went on a five park trip It’s crazy how something like this could happen on such a big ride

[@627jace627]

That's exactly my situation. I was there a month ago on a 5 park trip. CP, KI, Kennywood, Waldameer Park & SF Darien Lake.

[@itsmeh_leah8154]

how was the ride?

[@627jace627]

@@itsmeh_leah8154 It's incredible.

[@chase.b2967]

3:06 I think that is just a single piece. Steal won’t break that cleanly and it will usually be more jagged

[@ic1815]

This just makes me nervous. How awful that something fell off and hit someone. But what if that piece had fallen down and caught on the track and derailed the train? So scary to think about. I really hope the victim pulls through.

[@paulpine8606]

For it to detail u would need either the upper stop friction (wheels under the train) or side friction wheels (wheels on the said of the train) to come off. Those wheels are what prevents it from derailing.

[@ic1815]

@@paulpine8606 Final Destination really messed a lot of folks up ok 😂 but I’m glad to know I won’t go flying off the rails of a modern coaster… I think lol

[@paulpine8606]

Final destination had more than one person in mind. If u really want to think of it that way, then why didn't the part keep going n hit other people in the queue like some sort of boomerang? Now that would be some messed up final destination bullshit

[@jlong0w]

Funny how the piece disappeared then showed up, then disappeared, like a magic trick...... Now sacks of cash are going to appear .

[@anneclaypool1312]

I was there once and a cell phone fell out of someone’s pocket from this ride and crashed on the ground in front of me! I couldn’t believe it!

[@jar4lifeo-o69]

MF and Maverick: you good bro? WT and TTD: *_no_* Intamin is having it rough this season

[@bocahdongo7769]

Don't forget el toro

[@jar4lifeo-o69]

@@bocahdongo7769 lol that too😂. I just did these 4 since they're in the same park.

[@GMoney-B]

Reading this legitimately made me sad. Dark days for cedar point right now. I can't imagine getting hit with that bracket. Geeze.

[@NRGFLOGaming]

This is such an unfortunate event in a year of so many roller coaster incidents and accidents due to COVID related shortages. Just because you are short staffed at your park doesn't mean you can cut corners on roller coaster maintenance and safety every morning and night, unless you want to get sued. Cedar Point is to blame for this accident. They should have had tighter control (or better training) on their roller coaster and safety maintenance department leads, and all those mechanics under those leads as well. I hope that woman makes it out of this alive. If she dies because of this, then Cedar Point should pay compensation to her family.

[@NinjaGaming761]

Thai probably would of happened anyway without COVID just due to time. They could check everything but sometimes accidents happen even if safety and everything has been checked

[@kingkfc1352]

THere are inherant risks that you accept when going into the park

[@JCBro-yg8vd]

If something fell off from the train, I doubt it was a loose article from a rider. I don't know what the policy for them is on Dragster, but it *IS* a launch coaster and a pretty fast one at that. If they tell you to keep your arms down and your head back, I can't imagine they would let you keep loose articles that weren't secured.

[@ryanboyer3312]

I was actually in line for it when she got hit

[@iansteward4293]

This was very scary. We were there the day before it happened. I hope she’s ok today

[@brendashouseofshine4954]

Excellent video

[@ninapagonakis4628]

So sad to see it go. I’m from NE Ohio and haven’t rode it in over 5 years. Farewell Dragster!

[@amusement420]

I didn't read the comments below and scrubbed thru the video. But according to the Department of Agriculture (DOA) [it's the DOA because it started way back inspecting and certifying state and county fair rides and games then amsuement parks] it was a metal flag plate that's in the photo 1:43. That's the entire part. It's fastened by 2 flathead bolts in countersunk holes into the solid chassis of the car on both sides inside where the wheels are located. The left one disengaged from green train. Both of the bolts were sheared off. The other peices of the bolts were still in the holes. To me it would seem they would be tightened using a hex wrench by hand (also known as a hex key or allen wrench) because of the angle the plates are attached. Just my observation. The flag plate hovers over the blue proximity sensors telling the computer where the car in that train is at. There's a 2015 offseason charity tour photo of a car stripped for maintenance that shows them attached to the car on coasterbuzz forum. An off-ride POV video shows there aren't many blue proximity sensors on the left side of the track compared to the numerous right side ones. They're primarily in the unload platform into the loading platform. I was going to do a video but they aren't my photos or video. I was walking past the motor room when the paramedic truck came thru the mainentance gate with its sirens on across from TTD's lockers. I walked behind it as it slowly turn the corner to TTD's sign. Two little girls asked them what was going on. I had my camcorder but thought it in poor taste to shoot video. I observed a full purple train in the launch area while gold train was being pulled back into the station. A gold tag manager was talking to the riders. I didn't stick around. There's pink flag ribbons attaches to sections of the track past the Finish Line sign and around the back of green train. There's the cedar point police body cam on a couple 'news' youtube sites. Oddly enough I saw the maintenance guy who's shown in it by Millennium Force tonight. I know a manitenance supervisor. I wouldn't talk to him about it. He couldn't say anything about it anyway just like the Raptor death.

[@tomlee432]

What it is , is a piece of high carbon steel. It passes between a 2 sided hall effect sensor. This causes a magnetic field to be built up and then broken. This is converted to a wave signal so that position and speed can be calculated. Having only two bolts to hold it is risky. But in my opinion what happened was the bolts came loose and this was not caught during the inspection. This allowed the bracket to wobble and loosen to the point it contacted one of the sensors and broke off. Since the train was traveling at speed it turned the thing into a projectile. And at what appears to be a 4x6 inch piece of steel its a wonder the person wasn't killed. I hope the lady has a speedy recovery.

[@aaronzalewski7566]

I think you’re exactly spot on.

[@CanItAlready]

Someone posted a comment on ElToroRyan's video about this incident a couple of weeks ago, saying the woman who was injured is their aunt. They said they can't discuss the details because it's still in litigation but that she's doing better, but she'll need private care for the rest of her life.

[@ppipowerclass]

As of yesterday, the green train is back on the holding track on TTD, but the rear car on the green train is missing.

[@michaelwelsh8222]

I don't understand why you can secure a phone in a cargo pocket on TTD, etc. but not Steel Vengeance.

[@rubix1979]

I’m 90% sure someone got hit in the face with a phone and they covered the story up really well and didn’t let any new stations know (I heard this from a cast member), so that’s why the had to put metal detectors

[@Alfragiste]

Yeah because for the most part top trill is relatively short and flat as a ride meanwhile the hills and the sheer amount of airtime are more likely to throw your phone out of your hand and thus more likely to hit people. And people try to take thier phones out on a super crazy ride rather than a simple up and over

[@BigManPVP]

@@rubix1979 and someone got hit by hot sauce too

[@waddles6139]

@@rubix1979 I’m 90% sure that didn’t happen cedar fair isn’t the type of company to lie, that’d more likely be six flags if anyone

[@rubix1979]

@@waddles6139 they dont lie but try try and cover up storys, for example the sandusky police came to the ttd incident and when they asked for details for a report the park said that they have a police team and they have it under control, they may not be liars but they sure try and cover up any incidents that happen

[@robvelez882]

We have a season pass at six flags and we go on the roller coasters very often. Recently they stopped letting people on rides with anything in their pockets. It’s sucks cause of forces us to pay for their lockers or have someone wait and hold your stuff.

[@queenielouweekly3160]

I hope Top Thrill Dragster survives.

[@Cyb3rSynaps3]

I’m a former cedar point and the woman injured was a friend of mine. I’m just extremely conflicted about everything at the moment.

[@twitchawsomejohnson9420]

Me and my family went for the first time to cp 2 months ago. The same thing happened a quarter fell then hit my mom after that it hit me. It really hurt but we continued the day. Overall people should stop carrying things on rides. Edit: it was valrvn

[@bengrim420]

That sucks you were hit. But in the TTD accident it was a piece of the ride, not something someone carried on the ride.

[@puigi]

@@bengrim420 that’s true, however, there have been injuries regarding personal belongings on a ride at cedar point before. A cell phone hit someone on Steel Vengeance, so you can’t even bring a phone in the queue anymore

[@jlong0w]

You should have gone and made CP write you a big fat check, like this lady is doing. I will be surprised if her Lawyers don't end up shutting CP down over this. Very sad for everyone involved. 🙏 IT was an accident or was rigged. Guess we will never know.

[@twitchawsomejohnson9420]

@@jlong0w we would’ve sued if we were seriously injured

[@touchblackproductions2559]

@@puigi but this ain't that...

[@angiearbogast5424]

I watched a vid last spring about how problematic these strata coasters are, like how often it breaks down, how it has to be shut down often due to wind, rain, and the overall operating costs. I think there are only 2 of these rides in existence, and I belei it was said there will likely only be these two.

[@kewlztertc5386]

For this theory to work, there would also be damage to the train car. This damage likely occurred when the piece collided with the track structures as it fell.

[@PatThePerson]

This reminds me of the skyliner “unplanned downtime” that happened in 2019 at another reputable theme park. Just like that other place, cedar fair will call it unplanned downtime and downplay it instead of taking the L and steps to prevent it. Ex. Adding checking for this component to the pre-opening checklist as an item like “ *visually check sensor flag for any damages” where as you know the * indicates it’s safety critical

[@honestdad8944]

I would imagine two bolts failed to have the thread locking compound applied or the wrong compound was applied. The part being under the train and located in proximity to the rail wheels would be subject to lots of vibration. The retaining bolts have been countersunk on the plate which tells me that flag is within an 1/8” of the sensor reading it as it passes by. I would conclude that this was a misstep by Cedar Point maintenance and it somehow got overlooked. This could be remedied by adding dowel pins and two additional bolts if room allows on the mating surface of the train. It also would not be a bad idea to tether any and all possible components that could fall from the train. Lastly a redundant safety sensor could be added with a 1mm ranges. If at anytime the bolts become loose and the plate is pulled off that sensor for a tenth of a second, the PLC shuts the train down and alerts the issue.

[@toppgirl1613]

Please update with cedar points news from yesterday. Could we be getting a new launch?

[@brianamcbride-drayton5740]

I was just saying I need to go back to cedar point and ride this ride along with a couple others that I didn’t get a chance to ride. I last went to CP approximately 13 years ago. Doesn’t even feel like that long ago. I’m not going to lie this does make me afraid to ride it now but at the same time I am confident that whatever the issue was, won’t happen again. At least not anytime soon.

[@Dan_Sterling]

This is one of my favorites B&M’s. I hope they get this solved and up and running for 2022.

[@iitzfizz]

It's made by intamin not B&M

[@Dan_Sterling]

@@iitzfizz agree to disagree

[@Jfxkxdvrvr]

@@Dan_Sterling how can you disagree on a fact lmao

[@superRobertoist]

@@Dan_Sterling It was built by Intamin. NOT B&M

[@Dan_Sterling]

@@superRobertoist i do not even think Intamin was a company back when Dragster was built

[@rougejester]

I'm pretty sure you're guess is mostly correct because when i googled what a flag plate is, it apparently has a total of 4 holes for screws to go into. So if the flag plate that flew off of Top Thrill Dragster only had two holes for screws, then half of it probably broke off.

[@TherealManuelDallasJr]

I will miss The original Top thrill dragster 😢

[@chrisyanover1777]

This looks like an AWESOME fast drop coaster line! It look absolutely amazing! I wish something like this was in Arizona. It so sucks that person got hit in line, put nets or roofs up above the queue or anything to protect the people! It sucks for amusement parks because if anything goes wrong, it seriously goes wrong! I am sure their insurance is so high, it makes the tickets twice what they normally would be+

[@vixen4327]

That coaster is amazing! I've ridden it several times

[@nonbiz1520]

Amazing ride, done 17? times, but my thoughts were and are with the woman injured.

[@trevorprzepiora7926]

I've rode this several times. I'm glad I can say I've done it before this was inevitably going to happen.

[@GMoney-B]

What is the soundtrack from at the end?

[@bluewaveproductions4017]

The news said it's called a "flag raiser" and it's supposed to let the ride operator where the train is on the tracks.

[@barttrobe7396]

one news station said that but the park said it was a flag plate and he literally said how it works

[@hueylongadmirer1829]

Although the ride has a computerized diagnosis system on a computer screen in the booth, it's too complicated to understand and usually only maintenance understands that stuff. This is what E-Stop is for; anything troubling or concerning, he/she hits the red button. The Controls host has to keep an eye on the launched train, and queue line hosts can't see that area where the incident happened.

[@maddieholtgrieve9972]

i was at cp twice this year and both times and both times top thrill was leaking liquids from the bottom of the track

[@GreatAmericanCoaster]

that normal it always does that.

[@chiakinanami4208]

Do you know where it is?

[@waddles6139]

@@chiakinanami4208 cedar point is in Ohio

[@chiakinanami4208]

@@waddles6139 oh ok purple guy

[@justkibby5959]

Thats just the cooling water. Gotta keep that speed demon cool.

[@destroyer-cq2lm]

I believe there will be metal detectors now, after all I don't know why they didn't have them in the first place considering the speed of the ride and the queue right in the middle of the ride. The other part is that the piece coming could have looked like a phone initially. Being there in line at the front section of the queue, many of us believed that it must have been a phone or loose article of clothing that came off and hit her. I think it would also be a better look for the park to put metal detectors there as well.

[@bengrim420]

Soon all theme and amusement parks will have metal detectors and lockers for personal items at all rides. But unfortunately that would not have prevented this accident as it was a piece of the ride and not a person item.

[@carlstieren5437]

its a flag plate...it is the exact purpose you stated it is the metal piece that passes by a FUCHS sensor (Inductive Proximity Sensor) that is located on the track (usually green or blue boxes along the track ) the sensor sends out a magnetic Field and when the metal flag (on the coaster train) passes by at a close proximity it disrupts that magnetic field and the sensor registers the location of the train. or you put multiple sensors and it can tell you the speed of the train.

[@shawnspencer8766]

Pepperl Fuchs is just a brand. Many coasters use many different types of induction and capacitive sensors. A/B, Turck and Bauer are a few as well as PF.

[@carlstieren5437]

@@shawnspencer8766 yeah im an electrician jusr like to say fuchs alot

[@shawnspencer8766]

@@carlstieren5437 oh nice so am I. What park?

[@carlstieren5437]

@@shawnspencer8766 was... USN 20 years..currently now a maint engineer not in amusement industry.

[@rycub9264]

They definitely need to redesign the line. People shouldn’t be that close to the track anyway.

[@LordCosby]

The broken L bracket has cone-seated bolt holes, they are clean compared to the rest of the bracket, showing that both bolts seem to have been in place during installation. Whether or not they were secured properly on the other side, with a nut or threaded hole, is undetermined. Maybe the bolts should have had loctite and someone neglected to apply it, allowing the vibration to eventually loosen the bracket. The bracket, now getting loose, struck something along the track, leading to the deformation and denting, and eventual ejection from the train. But for the cone countersinks to be clean, the bolts would have had to been at least somewhat tight in the mounting. There definitely seems to be negligence in here somewhere, specifically on the part of maintenance.

[@ellejauregui1057]

Can you do the El loco ride at Adventuredome in Las Vegas nv?? There was an incident but it was never talked about after the initial news stories..it involved a handicap person.

[@samanthalyn13]

i think they’re going to rework and move the queue

[@cheesebone82]

Has there been any damage to the track itself?

[@emmabuffone3204]

I literally got off the dragster 5 minutes before this happened

[@moshie3859]

I was really looking forward to riding this :(

[@corvigae]

It would be incredibly unlikely for CP to remove Dragster at the moment, not only bc it's one of their most popular attractions, but also because they're already removing one other coaster this year. There's no way in hell a park that markets itself as "the roller coaster capital of America" would ax TWO coasters in the same year without already having a replacement lined up.

[@ninjagirl226]

The only thing that saves dragster is it’s popularity. I’ve heard it’s always been a maintenance headache and goes down way too much compared to other rides. If it ever gets a dip in popularity I bet it will go quickly.

[@bushwxcker540]

@@ninjagirl226 it won’t ever have a dip in popularity. It’s just too iconic. A large majority of people will be upset when this ride goes, even if it’s another 10 years from now.

[@SWIFTO_SCYTHE]

How injured is this woman? Is it life changing?

[@michaeltaylor1603]

Flags come in many sizes. I'm a former 6 Flags operator. The flag on Greezed Lightnin' Schwarzkopf shuttle loop fell off at least one time. It was either bolted or welded on. It didn't hit anyone, but they had to "find it" and put it back on. The Columbia @ Disneyland was being tied up. The cleat ripped from the deck hitting a guest standing in line to ride it. It hit them in the head and killed them. These are more like "freak accidents" Not saying that to some degree that can minimized or even prevented. I'm praying for the lady & her family. I surely hope CF comes up with a solution & can resolve the matter.

[@wedgehendrickson1287]

What roller coaster is at 6:18? Looks indoor?

[@Gelunix]

I feel like it was indented because of it hitting the ground. I'm not sure what the trajectory of the metal object was but it had to have hit solid ground before or after hitting the guest

[@justkibby5959]

I heard that it hit the guard rail before hitting the woman.

[@scottysblog7317]

Top thrill dragster is a hydraulic launch coaster. Using air pressure the cars are launched from the start, after that the cars are free moving. Apart from the original thrust, there's nothing else that pushes the cars along.

[@nonbiz1520]

Absolutely step inspections up, but please don’t shut it down. I LOVE IT. My thoughts are with the injured.

[@jdubdoubleu]

Too late.

[@jacccccccck1475]

"I know you're gonna walk away from this event event stronger than you were before." Dawg she got paralyzed..............................................

[@_Paps]

I’m so lucky I got to ride this I rode this about a week before this happened

[@LandoIsRandom]

I was at cedar point like right next to iron dragon when it happened and also my two cousins went on it 15 min before the incident

[@brianhillier7052]

this is sad to hear....

[@brucewatson9700]

This makes a lot of sense, tack on the high frequency vibration that's produced at those speeds and this is plausible, but my goodness the line of odds/what ifs are still out the door and around the corner. I hope that family is taken care of to the tune of never having money problems(ever). Does anyone know how the ladies recovery has gone?

[@leroybrown96]

They’re still doing an investigation, and closed the ride to not rush it. I’ve also read that the family has wanted privacy.

[@kevdogcle9955]

Nice job. As much as I 😘 be cedar point. And worked for them for eight year. Yes cedar point was very strict on rude maintance and safety. Top dragster was the only coaster I never ride at cedar point. I road it once and the g where to much for me. I have a neralogical disorder. I go on everything else. But this coaster. My thoughts and prayers are with this lady and her family. I know cedar point will not lie,try to cover up what went wrong or point blame. They do thier investagate and be straight foward and truthful. I worked for cedar point for 8 years. And was on management team. That's one thing I know about cedar point and fair company. They don't hid,e lie or point fingers. They take responsibility and admit if it was thier fault or lack of maintance or something. But, the thing is the company who built this coaster,maguim,gemi, mulinum firce and maverick. Yes are all Entemen coaster. And they no longer around they filed bankruptcy. But, i bet Tim mismdy is going to be calling her to take her injury case.

[@jptwentyfour887]

Me….scheduling a second trip in august to ride it after leaving day before it opened in may because we went first two days of the season, no doubt case closed. Aaron jones scored 41 on me and i lost in fantasy by 7. These things happen to me absolutely constantly, period case closed, that is the reason.

[@hellsdementedsong5563]

This ride is seemingly a maintenance nightmare. I would say I’m surprised an accident happened with this ride but I’m honestly not. It’s crazy how much time they spend trying to maintain it only for something like this to happen anyway.

[@BonazaiGirl]

I hope the woman gets compensated if she pulls out of this. Has to suck for it to happen to her while she’s in line to ride it. I also hope they do more proper maintenance on this coaster.

[@spider0804]

Never understand why they put queue lines around the track. Aside from ride parts people are always losing phones.

[@crooked-halo]

Next season helmets will be required while waiting in line for Top Thrill Dragster. Cedar Point just made the purchase of 2,000 bicycle helmets. An additional employee will be in charge of disinfecting each helmet as riders remove them in the station. This will surely cause longer wait times.

[@_wenjo]

This isn't a joke?

[@crooked-halo]

@@_wenjo What do YOU think?!?

[@marvzzjr]

0:49 is this brakes incase of Rollbacks?

[@roxynano]

5:50 Yeah they will blame Intamin. They don’t like them.

[@waddles6139]

Well I mean I would too

[@jimskywaker4345]

1st el toro and now this, intamin is getting a lot of bad publicity

[@dindog22]

they have had a lot of issues with Intamin rides

[@melaniesandy9609]

Omg!!!😱😱

[@bowtiefortrouble4433]

Mechanics gotta make sure that thing is torqued right it probably wasn’t and came off over time due to the intense vibrations of the ride

[@montana.3137]

I was just @ cedar point Saturday and the Top Dragster Is Still Shut Down

[@endicotttyler]

Yeah. Hope you’re right.