The Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster at Cedar Point.Photo: cedar point
In a statement released to WOIO on Monday, Hawes' family confirmed that she remains in the hospital’s ICU in critical condition with a brain injury.
Cedar Point amusement park.google maps
Opened in 2003, the Top Thrill Dragster is a strata roller coaster thatreaches a top speed of 120 miles per hour in just 3.8 seconds, according to the Cedar Point website.
In the wake of the incident, two inspectors from the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) were called to the amusement park, where they performed an inspection of the ride and investigation of the accident, according to Fox affiliateWJW.
State investigations later confirmed that the piece of metal that struck Hawes was about the size of “a man’s hand,” theJournalreported.
The investigation also determined that the piece was an “L-shaped” bracket that was connected to the back of the car and supposed to hover over the track, David Miran, the ODA’s chief of amusement rides, told theJournal.
“Due to the changes in ride inspections implemented through Tyler’s Law, this ride is required to be inspected twice a year, with a minimum of two inspectors performing each inspection,” the ODA told the outlet. “The previous requirement was one inspection a year. The second inspection for the Top Thrill Dragster for this year was planned for September.”
Miran noted to theJournalthat the train’s car and other pieces of evidence have since been sent to a lab for further investigation.
Ina statement posted on Facebooklast Thursday, Cedar Point announced that the Top Thrill Dragster will remain closed for the 2021 season as they continue to investigate.
“Our team has the health and welfare of our guest who was involved in Sunday’s incident at Top Thrill Dragster at the forefront of our minds,” the statement reads. “We will continue to offer our support to her and her family in this unimaginably difficult time.”
“We want to fully understand what happened and why. Together with the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture’s Division of Amusement Ride Safety & Fairs, third party investigators, engineers and the ride’s manufacturer, we are being careful, methodical and thorough,” they went on. “We will not rush the investigation and will work tirelessly in our search for answers in the interest of improving safety. This process will take time.”
“As a result, Top Thrill Dragster will remain closed for the 2021 season,” Cedar Point added. “The safety of our guests and associates is our top priority and we refuse to operate any ride or attraction without total confidence in its safety.”
source: people.com
