Following an accident where a woman was seriously injured after being struck by a falling object in the queue of Top Thrill Dragster on Sunday, Cedar Point has confirmed the 420-foot tall Intamin roller coaster will remain closed for the rest of the 2021 season.
In a statement posted to Twitter, the park said:
“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. 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 Department of Agriculture’s Division of Amusement Ride Safety & Fairs, third party investigators, engineers and the ride’s manufacturers, we are being careful, methodical and thorough. We will not rush the investigation and will work tirelessly in our search for answers in the interest of improving safety.”
The statement and closure do not answer some of the unresolved questions about the incident.
As reported by WOIO-TV, Cedar Point initially said the unnamed woman of being hit by a “small metal object.” Eyewitnesses, however, described a larger object, according to the Cleveland TV station.
Bodycam footage captured by Sandusky, Ohio police officer released Wednesday showed paramedics bringing a stretcher to the queue as well as comments from people who witnessed the accident. Another woman can be heard telling first responders that the victim needed a neck brace, but none was available.
The footage does not show the woman up close, but because sounds of her in pain are featured throughout the video, Theme Park Tribune has chosen not to repost it here. It is accessible through other news outlets.
There has not been an update on the woman’s condition since Sunday. The Sandusky Register has accused Cedar Point of improperly withholding information about the accident in violation of Ohio’s public records laws, which apply to Cedar Point’s police department, as it is a division of the larger Sandusky police force.