The Future of Top Thrill Dragster Following Its Most Recent Accident
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- Опубликовано: 20 авг 2024
- Top Thrill Dragster recently had an incident where a guest waiting in line was hit with an object that flew from the ride. This has led the coaster to be closed for the remainder of the 2021 season. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Top Thrill Dragster has had a significant issue. Today, I'll be discussing what the future holds for Top Thrill Dragster.
Body Cam Footage: • Body camera: Accident ...
Article Incident: www.cleveland....
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Cedar Point: / cedarpointvideos
ElToroRyan: / blasianskater
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UPDATE: In the most simply put way, a piece of the Green Train broke off and it also appears that the track has been damaged as well
So it's probably going to close in my opinion
@@360coasters It did for the rest of the season. As for permanently? Doubt it.
So, I was right 💯😎🤷🏽♂️
@@Biosynthnut I meant permanently
@@360coasters probably about a .1% chance
No matter what happens to Top Thrill Dragster, I’m very fortunate that I was able to get one ride on it during my trip to Cedar Point two years ago. And that one ride was super memorable.
Indeed. I was fortunate to have ridden it in its debut year when it was just full of problems.
I’ve been there 3 times but it was closed every time
I am so glad I got two rides on it on my day trip in July. It was closed most of the day due to weather but I got on it twice during the one hour it was open that day.
I got on this ride in October 2019 and July 18 2021 such an amazing experience
@@brycealtenbaugh4447 I went there three times as well and it was closed as well. I finally got to ride it on the fourth visit (three times)
TTD will be fine. They’ll most likely upgrade the wheels, and structural system. It isn’t going anywhere. And neither is El Toro. (Yes I’m a mechanic and I’m 90% sure I know what flew off and hit the woman which I might add was a 100% freak accident)
i bet they’ll add more fencing too
I agree
TTD is gone by 2028 I bet. Toro isn’t going anywhere for ages tho
Well that makes me feel better
Apparently it was an L bracket that holds a sensor. An update on the investigation from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Video starts at about the 3 minute 10 second mark. ruclips.net/video/5bKSJ-akPG4/видео.html
Here’s something else that I haven’t seen mentioned:
CP may want to look at adding a barrier along the launch track in front of the bleachers (or remove then entirely). If the bleachers stay, the barrier would need to be constructed of a material that could stop a flying object of any kind (and could be used along the brake run too).
I know that having the queue line in the “inner” section adds to the anticipation thrill, but an alternative queue line setup might make more sense. Maybe set it up where the ride photo booth is located.
Or only have an on-demand type of queue.
Look at Kingda Ka; most of the track is in an area that isn’t close to the queue.
Then again, zumanjaro drop of doom is in a precarious area…
Very good points.
good luck with that its very expenisve i dont see CP doing it
well the women who got hit was in line so their main priority right now should be keeping the line safe.
@@beefandcheddar693 Very True!!
I’m sure that even though they’re being very quiet about it, CF is checking on her regularly.
This isn’t something that can be resolved quickly.
CP has done the right thing by shutting down TTD for the rest of the year.
They’re going to poring over maintenance logs and maybe even viewing footage from park cameras.
The ride ops who were working that day had to be traumatized by the accident. Their training prepares them for so many contingencies, but they couldn’t plan for something like this.
My thoughts are with the woman, her family and the ride ops as they go through these difficult times.
@@saaaahduuuuude1228 wait seriously? Is that why theres 2 queues but only 1 is ever used?
Man, a lot of the big coasters going down this year. Dragster, SkyRush, El Toro..
And they r all intamins
@@asterisks3062 good point, two are cable propelled as well. And Stormrunner, the Accelerator at Hershey, was down for a long time last year.
Skyrush actually has it’s new motor and drum installed :D it should start testing next week
All intamins
gatekeeper too
If TTD will ever be removed, it'll be the perfect occasion for Cedar Point to build that massive 500 ft RMC T-Rex we've all been waiting for
True, although they probably will try to extend its service life as long as possible.
Only if if had a launch, I feel.
I would fall into a deep depression cuz this is my favorite roller coaster of all time
It looks like they are already making room with the removal of Wicked Twister. Top Fuel won't ever be torn down. Maybe add some plexiglass as a precaution.
@@kravitz1999 You’re right. Dragster will never be removed
I have always thought that putting the que line in the middle of TTD was a bad idea, but its saves room for the park. Yet this is exactly why this incident happened.
Awesome video! I feel really bad for the family of the person who is injured! I didn’t have a chance to ride it when I went to the park and I’m completely fine with it if it means the ride being more safe for everyone
I read a lot about the discord between Intamin and Cedar Fair.... I've learned *some* of the supposed reasons behind it..... I am only a coaster fan and not a technician....but I must say I've ridden a lot of coasters at a lot of parks by a wide variety of manufacturers, and overall I love Intamin rides the best. They're innovative, quiet, smooth.....overall just a better and more fun ride experience than the rough B&Ms, clunky Arrows, boring Macks, etc. I'd really hope to see Intamin and CF repair their fractured relationship, and I also wish CP would keep Wicked Twister.
This might sound insane but maybe cedarfair can try to get s&s to install a air compressed launch and maybe use lsm breaks, and yes I’m very well aware that s&s didn’t make the ride but a air compressed launch is a lot more reliable than a 18 year old hydraulic system
That’s a good idea
ironic given what happened with dododonpa a day later (not that it would apply in this case necessarily)
no chance
having worked at kings island as a rides electrician, you cannot make ride modifications without the "WRITTEN CONCENT" of the ride manufacturer, to do so it would make "CEDER FAIR" liable for anything that would happen to the ride, also that ride is coming up on the 20 year manufacturers liability limitation. in my estimation "THAT RIDE" is entering its demise!!!. I have looked at that ride, it is an accident just waiting to happen!!!!!
Eltororyan said something about this saying that the compressed air launch wouldn’t be strong enough to clear the peak because of the ride length and height.
Closing this coaster forever would be catastrophic for the coaster industry & the general public
I'm a firm believer that all this is do to lack of maintenance with the pandemic. Lack of staff in off season or lack of help in the off season .
There is a video about that by Coastoons, if I remember correctly.
Seems odd, though. Amusement park maintenance shouldn't be significantly affected, as most of the tasks are either done alone or with one other person in close proximity. If anything, it should give them a chance to get ahead.
@@KingdaToro A maintenance person is no different than anyone else out in the work force. If they are getting paid by the govt. why would they want to work? I'm glad this stimulus money is done now. Hopefully people will want to start working again.
@@forliberty1805 And that in turn would only be a problem if the parks had to lay them off. And if they did, it's coming back to bite them now.
The lack of maintenance? Seriously?? LMFAO, dude. Why would anyone or any business in their right mind with people's lives at risk cut back on ride maintenance and safety? I worked at Cedar Point for the past 2 years and can tell you flat out that this is NOT THE CASE and never has been. Yes we had staffing issues but we NEVER EVER skimped on neglected maintenance and safety regarding rides or any guest issues of safety. What happened on Top Thrill Dumpster was an accident, not due to the unfounded statement made about maintenance negligence.
they will need to enclose the line replace the break run and god knows what else and it also the third accident on the same ride i wouldnt be surprised if the park closes it forever
Awesome video. I don’t really see TTD going anywhere soon, at least not until it’s service life is exceeded. I’ve always wondered why they don’t at least heighten the fencing between the queue line and the final brake run??
They'll probably do that while it's closed for the rest of the year. Or, people will just have to wear helmets while they stand in line.
I think they should cover the queue area to reduce the chances of waiting guests being hit by flying parts.
And to reduce the chance that flying stuff (that people are too stupid to take out of their pockets) will hit people also.
The really great thing about Cedar Point is they take any incident very serious. They don’t just brush accidents off, shut a ride down for 15 minutes and say everything is fine. The park has a good reputation, because they don’t do crappy work trying to ensure the guests have a safe , fun experience to the best of their ability. Every time I watch this video, I get a rush . I loved this ride. I was wishing it would go backwards a couple times so I could experience the start over and over without waiting to ride again. Adrenaline starts to pump thru your body the moment you enter the park. Roller coasters are for the thrill seekers, fast dangerous,twisting, and unpredictable; which is why you ride them. You basically pay to have an unpredictable, dangerously exciting time. Guarantees if there are any are on the other side of the gate.
Great vid! This is such a tragic iccident, and I really hope the future of the ride (and mainly the lady involved) will be okay.
Thank you!
I was in front of this coaster when the latest accident happened but wasn’t in line yet. Park officials was in a panic 😱 prayers for the woman and family who was injured. 🙏
There's a really good reason why they will do everything in their power not to tear this ride down, besides the fact that the ride is a huge draw, and as others pointed out, this may have been a complete freak accident that no one could have seen coming, regardless of safety protocols. In order to build Millennium Force, which took the park to the next level, Cedar Point had to agree to build five Intamin attractions by 2010. Those five rides ended up being Millennium Force, Wicked Twister, Top Thrill Dragster, Maverick, and Shoot the Rapids. Shoot the Rapids was a pile of rubbish that didn't even last ten years. Wicked Twister will close in September. If they close down this ride, that will be three out of five rides in that agreement that are no more. Demolishing two of those rides is bad enough, but demolishing three would prove that contract may not have been worth it in the long run. And I don't know what pull Intamin has as a manufacturer, but I am sure they would have something at stake if one of their major rides was torn down.
Cedar Fair had already made a statement that they will no longer be purchasing products from Intamin, other than parts for existing coasters, BEFORE this happened. Intamin may now be toast.
@Luke StarkillerMaverick’s removal of its heart line roll delaying its opening in 2007 showed the cracks in the relationship. KD’s Intimidator 305 reprofile really created issues between Intimin and Cedar Fair. Shoot the Rapids’ issues, accident, and premature closure was the nail in the coffin.
@@500erider lol intamin and CP were toast back in 2013 this just makes it even worse
@Luke Starkiller yep i305 aswell
@Luke Starkiller I'm sure that ride was a major factor, but the decision to part ways with them, comes from having LOTS of problems with LOTS of Intamin products over the years.
I bet they are wishing/having second thoughts about removing Wicked Twister now. If Dragster is down...even if it's down in 2022 for the investigation, they now have a massive gap of launch coasters in their lineup. And launch coasters are what people are all about these days it seems. I realize they still have Maverick but that's not even really the main point of that coaster in my opinion. Now if Dragster were to permanently close then they have some real issues with that gap. Never thought I'd see the day that CP might be in a position to be struggling to come up with a launch coaster. Very odd turn of events. I don't like the 2021 season anymore.....
The 2021 season was doomed from the start, with the accidents on Toro, Voyage, Skyrush etc. For CP, removing Wicked twister at this points is a MASSIVE yikes. Wicked Twister and Dragster have a lot in common. They’re both over 200ft tall, both have a 90° incline/decline, both are launched, both are intamins. On top of this, WT is an invert. So if two of these rides aren’t operating then that removes two 90°, two launches, two 200ft+ talls which is NOT good at all and will really hurt them.
@@Gabes1321 I couldn't agree more with everything you pointed out. And after the very lackluster 2022 announcement from Cedar Fair, and already knowing CP is dumping $30mil in eSports in 2023, it could be a real battle for that park for quite a few years now. They might want to rethink the $30mil in 2023 on eSports with everything going on but what do I know....
@@mattr3922 I feel like Cedar Fair really put all their eggs in one basket with Ohio and especially Cedar Point. Even though Six Flags has a LOT of flaws, one thing they do great is invest in their parks somewhat equally. Cedar Fair could really make money off of some of their other parks but they refuse to add anything. Even if they add cheap filler attractions which are clones, as long ass they’re good rides, then it’s fine. Cedar Fair looks like they’re going to have a Sea World situation and start to see some debt soon while Six Flags looks like they’re headed on the up and up, even with the pandemic
@@mattr3922 wait, y r they dumping money into esports!?!?
@@bukemdukem1870 Beats me?? Was already announced though. It's going to be a whole indoor arena. Really seems like they are being serious about trending away from coasters....but they might be taking it a bit extreme for a park like CP.
I think it will give Cedar Fair something to think a lot about. Of corse they will have to find a solution (and cause) to what happened, and a new way to mitigate that potential risk (or something similar like it) to almost 0%. I think they might work with Intamain and improve the launch system and other things to have it up more often (if that is an issue they need to address). We know they will do anything they can before they would ever consider removal. It is their (Cedar Fairs) only strata-coaster, and an icon, so I don't see "removal" in Top Thrill Dragsters future. I see a lot more nets, and possibly an altered que line.
yeah its one of the only TWO stratas, they wont want it to go even if it is a total headache to maintain
I just spent 4 days at Cedar Point after the accident. No dragster but the valravn is definitely the best coaster even over the dragster. You have to do the front row. With fast passes we were getting on in 5 minutes
Valravn is my favorite, as well as my 8-year-olds. My older one and I kept getting 3rd row, but when I took my younger one, even with his 52” wrist band, and being measured at the beginning of the queue, the person working at the ride called the manager over to double check my son‘a height, causing us to miss our ride. She measured him and apologized and said he was good to go, even gave us her name and her position in case they gave him crap at any other rides (some didn’t even look at how tall he was, some did call their managers- they actually called the manager AGAIN when I took him on again right after 🙄) BUT- because we had to wait extra, we got the front row :-) It was my favorite when I went on 10 years ago too! I love hanging at the top!
They need to inspect it thoroughly, and hopefully they can figure out the issue and reopen in 2022!
I think they confirmed that it will open 2022.
Lol they figured the issue out the next day
@@paraskep5080 not comfired to open in 2022 just closed for the season
I worked at kings island as a rides electrician, and "ALL" park rides are inspected by inhouse mechanics every morning before the park opens for the day. any and all problems with the rides are corrected and test operated before the "START UP SHEET" is signed off by the mechanic. the start up sheet must be signed by the mechanic that is checking in the ride, or the ride will not be released for operation.. no exceptions!!! you want to know why all the problems with this ride, I can tell you in one word "INTAMIN" I never did like those rides. a lot of their rides are just an accident waiting to happen!!!!. I am surprised that "INAMIN" is still in business, "ARROW DYNAMICS" was another company that always wanted to be first in new ride technology, well they bit the dust!!!!
@@gregoryclemen1870 The bracket that fell off makes no contact with anything. It came loose due to CP maintenance. It doesn't touch anything so there's no stress on the bracket while the ride runs causing it to be Intamins fault
The press conference today said it was an L shaped bracket on the back of the green train that hovers just above the track that trips sensors to let the station know its location on the course. The bracket somehow made contact with the track, broke off the train and flew through the air, hitting the woman. The brake bracket area of the track and several horizontal track beams were slightly damaged before that piece was sent airborne.
Great video! I have a feeling that if this woman does not make it out 100% healthy, Dragster is pretty much gone from the park. :(
My guess is they'll let it get to its 20th birthday, then it's future is in trouble. It's a very iconic and historic record-breaking coaster, so I imagine the company will prop it up till then.
Kingda Ka already broke TTD's record years ago ( KDK is 456ft) so they don't have much to stand on with that now. Folks can still head over to Jersey for Kingda Ka, or if they want to warm themselves up to Kingda Ka, they can head over to Cedar Fair's Knott's Berry Farm and ride Xcelerator which was the first coaster of its kind before TTD came out. It's smaller scale but it can be a great precursor to warm you up to TTD. And if you're feeling adventurous, could eventually head over to Spain for Red Force which is the same kind of ride and is in fact the tallest coaster in all of Europe. There's also Superman Escape from Krypton at Six Flags Magic Mountain, which was the Intamin predecessor before ANY of the top-hat type launch coasters came out. It's been out since 1998 and hasn't had a single incident since its opening. That one is 418ft high which is only 2 feet under TTD. It doesn't have a tophat since it purposefully rolls back, but you can still get a sense of height on that one to again, warm up to the idea of Kingda Ka for those who may find it a little intimidating.
@@neferazure
What do you think we can just travel all over the place?
Dumb comment.
Do you own a private jet?🤣
@@neferazure yeah but ttd is way better than ka
@@bizbo6831 that's your opinion, which is subjective. Some argue that Red Force is better than both. So there's that.
Don’t bring red Force into this cus kinda ka and ttd is better then red force
I sure hope it has many more years. It is one of my Cedar Point favorites! They have already removed the Wicked Twister (which we enjoyed so much) and are sad about.
Brilliant video! First and foremost, my thoughts continue to be with the girl involved in this incident and her family.
Second, definitely a lot of factors will be going into how the future of TTD will go. While I am not confident of it reopening as is, I'm sure a valiant effort will be made in trying to resolve any issues as best as CP can.
100%
I would not bet on that one, this ride is coming up on the 20 year manufacturers liability limitation, after that the liability shifts to "CEDER FAIR", I do not think that they are going to hold still for that, knowing the track record of "INTAMIN" rides
Many prayers for the lady. TTD is my favorite….I hope it opens next year!
It looks like most of the accidents this year happened on Intamin coasters. Things dont look good for intamin.
I’m honestly scared for the future of Top Thrill Dragster😬
so is my college roommate
It’ll be fine ppl have died on coasters and they’re still going
@@ceaserri What the hell are you talking about?
What happened on TTD was horrifying, but the ride is such a huge crowd favorite that I can't imagine CP closing and dismantling it.
My Prayers to the woman who was injured. 💝🙏🙏🙏💝
I'm kind of debating whether Cedar point is the coaster capital of the world with staffing issues, gatekeeper chainlift broken, wicked twister removal and top thrill dragster having two incidents within the same year
Wicked Twister is a maintenance nightmare and cost quite a bit to run. The issue with staffing is a good reason for parks to start removing rides that cost a lot of money or have low ridership. There a lot of parks suffering from staffing issues, not just CP.
If they lose Wicked Twister AND Top Thrill Dragster, they’ll drop to 15 coasters…with Six Flags Magic Mountain going up to 20 next year, Cedar Point is really going to look silly. Heck, Canada’s Wonderland will have more coasters…Energylandia has more…Six Flags Great America will have as many…roller coaster capital? I think not.
Kings Dominion is the real coaster capital of the world.
@@Cheezbat Most of Canada’s Wonderland’s coasters are trash.
@@Cheezbat wicked twister is leaving for good. The company doesn't care about coaster counts between parks. Dragster is closed for the remainder of the season and no word or idea on what direction the park will take. Majority of GP visiting CP never heard of Canada's wonderland or Magic Mountain. Hell I have friends in Columbus Ohio that love coasters and didn't know what Kings Island was.
One of the witnesses present waiting in line with family, who also happens to be an ER nurse practitioner, said the woman definitely suffered an open skull fracture and that there was fluid leaking from her brain when she was able to assess the injury before Sandusky's medical personnel arrived. There's a reason Cedar Point is being so tight-lipped about this one. I think they are giving the family time to grieve before possibly officially announcing that she has passed. Because if she were expected to recover, it's really easy to simply tell the public she's doing fine and expected to make a full recovery, it's harder to do so if she's now in grave condition or brain dead with little or no chance of recovering. They don't even need to disclose her personal info to disclose that she's doing well. They're even claiming they never even took down her name or her information before shipping her off to the hospital. So if they really are "focusing on the woman and her family", how when they don't have her info and claim to not even know what hospital she's even at? If she does in fact pass away, I think Top Thrill Dragster may come down a lot sooner than 5yrs from now like you said. I think that's putting it generously. I hope it doesn't, but I do think that could happen if things take a turn for the worst.
The ER Nurse Practitioner also said she filed a complaint at Cedar Point because she said the way they handled the woman was also very poor and below standard, they seemed like rookies who didn't know what they were doing. Didn't even have neck braces on hand for the woman. They failed to put a neck brace around her neck before trying to move her around, knowing she had a severe head/brain injury, which could have potentially worsened her situation. In actuality she should have been airlifted out of there based on the type of injury. There's a lot more to this situation that we are being kept in the dark about. One of the other witnesses present also happened to be an off-duty member of law enforcement and he also spoke on what he witnessed, he even saw the actual object that hit the woman. So there were at least two nurses present and one law enforcement officer who all happened to be off duty at the time of the incident, and they all did come to the woman's aid while they waited for Sandusky medics and police to arrive.
Cedar Point is withholding information on purpose and I believe it's because something far worse has happened and they are trying to figure out how to break it to the public. They won't even answer or return phone calls. What happened to transparency? That's my take.
I do hope and pray that I'm wrong, though. But it's not sounding or looking too good so far.
The family was interviewed today and said she's in critical condition.
@@shoobamocha ok, good. At least that means she's alive. I don't live in Ohio so I don't get to see the goings on as they happen. I usually have to Google the ride and then try to catch some updates news. Critical is still bad, but it's better than not being alive. I do hope she makes a full recovery eventually.
That ER nurse seemed a little off the wall. I watched the video. Once the EMTS arrived she needed to just leave them alone like they asked. She was also under the influence of alcohol. Her Facebook page showed it. Saw a local news show that was discussing that. It was actually pretty long. The off duty officer did say the metal piece was approximately the size of a football and nobody could find it. CP at the time said a bolt hit her. I don't feel the Cedar Point should have put her name out there along with what hospital. I don't think that would have been right. I do think they may lose the ride down permanently. Constant issues, constant breakdowns. More More headaches than it's worth.
@@judiplaz they were literally mishandling the woman and if you saw the metal object that hit her (they showed it in the last few hours), it's definitely larger than what the news and Cedar Point has been leading people to believe; that thing was HUGE, and caused blunt force trauma to her head. Not only did the ER nurse say this, other witnesses present CORROBORATED (some of whom ALSO happened to be off-duty medical personnel) what she said. She wasn't under any influence. Yall like trying to discredit qualified, trained professionals. She knows what she saw and so do the others who were present that day. There is still a chance that woman may not make it as she is currently fighting for her life. Even if she does make it, her quality of life may never be the same after what happened to her. An open skull fracture is serious business. She had fluid leaking from her brain which was actually exposed from the hit. If she makes a full recovery and ever is back to her old self again, it will be a miracle.
And they (Cedar Point) are LYING about having not been able to find the object. An object as large as the one I saw would not get lost that quickly or be that hard to spot. It either got lodged in her head or fell right next to her somewhere after the impact. It hit her at a speed of like 100mph her head def stopped it dead in its tracks. It was way too big for them to "lose" it and not know what it was. That was another tactic to hide the truth.
Also, I never once said they needed to release her name, in fact I said the complete opposite. I said I found it SUSPICIOUS that they were being so tight-lipped regarding her CONDITION, which they could have EASILY disclosed WITHOUT disclosing her name or any other pertinent information. They do it all the time in other circumstances. The truth is, she's not quite out of the woods yet and there is a very real possibility that she may pass away if she hasn't already. I hope she doesn't, but it isn't sounding too good. An open skull fracture is pretty serious. They're watching her closely because whatever happens to her will set the tone for the legal proceedings that will follow.
@@neferazure um why are u so angry. I did say that an off duty officer said the object was the size of a football and CP said a bolt. I pretty much implied that they were down playing it. Obviously a bolt would not cause that much trauma. BUT the nurse was wrong. We don't know if the vicim was manhandled as we couldn't see her or what was going on. She apparently told people that she was a doctor. As for the neck brace she kept telling about, some doctors said it could make things worse for that type of open head wound. I saw her statement online also. It was so hard to read and she was all over the place..And yes she posted on Facebook right before the incident, of herself doing shots. She's off duty, she is allowed. BUT once the emergency crew came, she needed to back off. She would do the same thing if she was working and people were trying to tell her what to do. I did think they took way to long in getting her out of there. Either way CP will have a huge lawsuit if not more, ahead of them. And I don't think the coaster will remain which was my main point
I get the feeling this wasn't a fault of the ride itself, but maybe from debris (or something that didn't belong) on the track.
We were there that Sunday and rode it not long before it happened. Hard to believe this woman will ever fully recover and 1 incident like this is 1 too many. Obviously love TTD as much as anyone BUT the frustration of it constantly being down and now this may be spelling the end
Thank you for making this video. I'm surprised other coaster RUclipsrs have been silent on this incident, and I can't help but wonder if Cedar Fair has something to do with this. The entire way this incident has been handled is sickening. If you watch the (un)blurred video, it's very obvious this was a serious incident that resulted in excruciating pain for one guest (who we don't know much about because, again, Cedar Fair is not saying much). So far the Columbus Dispatch is the only media outlet that I'm aware of that's shown any real tenacity with regards to reporting on this matter (them and, thankfully, WNY Coasters). When the investigation is complete, my prediction is Cedar Fair settles with the injured guest for a huge (undisclosed) amount of money and, like SOB, TTD is dismantled.
They're silent, because deep down they're indifferent to the condition of the woman that got hurt. Their only concern is seeing Top Thrill Dragster resume operation as soon as possible, safety concerns be damned. Notice all the RUclips videos of riders *violating park rules* by filming themselves riding these coasters. They don't care about rules, or safety concerns. Too many of them bitch about "being stapled" by the restraints; they care more about "air time" then riding safely.
Then there's also the coverups by the park. Even the ride operator who witnessed this incident posted on another video page how Cedar Point keeps everyone in the dark about the guest's condition. He may already be fired by now if park management finds out about his post.
@@hueylongadmirer55 or maybe it was because their was very little info released on this incident also literally no one thinks ttd reopening is more important that the woman’s condition
I try to avoid generalizations. I have heard Cedar Fair threatens their employees, though. Feel free to PM me if you have more info
@@nathanward9972 how does one pm on u tube
@@nathanward9972 I worked at Cedar Point for the last two years (five years if you count the 3 in college), and they ABSOLUTELY DO NOT THREATEN YOU. They also are prohibited from releasing any information on the victim due to HIPA and privacy laws/regulations. I wish these IDIOTS who know nothing about this company would STFU with the rumors and hate for the place. I've never worked for a more well run and caring company than Cedar Point. Yes, they are not perfect and do some really stupid things as do all companies, but they treat their employees with respect and gratitude.
I feel the same way about El Toro. There's no chance of it opening for the remainder of the 2021 season and I feel like it could possibly permanently close as well.
It won't permanently close. It's way too popular and good a ride for that, and Six Flags has even invested in their own facility to fabricate new track pieces for it. They won't want that investment to go to waste.
they have literally been replacing track and bolts which is very expensive, they are already preparing for a reopening next year
It’s kinda scary to see what happened. It’s definitely possible for Dragster to be removed within the near future. All we have to do is hope officials can figure out what happened and address the issue to make the ride more reliable and safer.
its not going anywhere
@@venusvisions that’s what I’m hoping
Welp, this is been a problematic rollercoaster to begin with, in the fact that it hardly ever works. Add to it the fact that this is not the first time something from the ride has popped off and hit someone, and I think this is the end of TTD
The piece that flew off is used on multiple roller coasters, and the accident could have happened at multiple Cedar Point coasters.
Or at any other place for that matter.
prayers for that lady
The exact same thing happened on Kingda Ka before it opened in 2005. It was actually a couple of brake fins but they fixed it by rerouting the queue.
I think this accident could have been prevented if there was a cover over que line. But there does need to be an investigation on what flew off the ride and how. Best wishes to the injured and her family.
yeah this is a bummer, especially since I know the pain due to a past king da ka incident that closed it for a while, and now that el toro got closed for someone blacking out while riding I believe. Its gonna suck not going on el toro when I visit this Labor Day.
I don’t see top thrill going, I feel like it will survive. People have died on roller coasters before and they’ haven’t closed because of it. Look at new Texas giant, or literally any Disney coasywe
i mean, raptor is still open so i think ttd has a good survival chance
Wicked Twister is the coaster that is going.
@Dee Sater incidents like this have happened before
@@notirelyn the incident with raptor was solely the guys fault though
@@notirelyn Raptor did not do anything. It was the stupidity of the IDIOT going into a restricted area when the ride was in motion. He got what he deserved.
Hopefully Top Thrill Dragster will only be closed for the rest of 2021 and not permanently
Me too. Not just for the lore, but because TTD is in my top 3 in the park.
And yes, you read that right. Top Thrill Dragster has lore.
id hate to speculate looking at the investigation so far it appears that plate is a sensor as the department of ag said and it hit the track so to me that sounds like somehow some of the up stop wheels let the car skip the track too much and then it dragged that plate as the investigation said half of the bolts were still there and there was damage to the track which tell me it possibly is a design flaw or they should be replacing upstop wheels more often not sure im not an engineer nor do i pretend to know but know they know what happened it is time to prevent it in the future
I’d be legitimately shocked if Dragster ever operates again. Sadly, this is now the coasters legacy. People won’t forget it.
Honestly i wouldn't be mad if they closed and replaced dragster with something else. Been going to CP since 2005 and the 17 second ride time just isn't worth it.
I disagree... Though my first time riding TTD was on the weekend of this horrible accident. I rode it that morning too but left the park 40 minutes before the woman got hit
@@zackt4551 It definitely is a thrill don't get me wrong, but recent years I've seen a big decline in ridership. The amount of money the park has to put in just to maintain and keep the ride going just isn't worth it to me if they can come up with something else.
That's your opinion. I think it's worth the wait. The launch time is what makes it so exciting plus the speed.
@@forliberty1805 touche
@@forliberty1805 it is definitely NOT worth the wait.
I agree. It will re open with a overhaul to help reliability and safety. I think we are getting down the the last few or even couple nails in the coffin for it though.
I just road this ride in mid July. It was amazing but it was closed for the majority of the day and didn't open until 5pm due to maintenance.
That's why we call it Top Thrill DOWNTIME!!!!
I rode it on the green train 4 hours before it broke down
I was there when this happened. me and my aunt were waiting in line for the Gemini and we heard sirens.
I was just there the day before and left that Sunday back home to find this out I thank god for this
I’m thinking they will try to relocate the queue or somehow enclose it.
I think they'll be adding the kind of netting you see follow underneath the track on a lot of rides (Mako, Furious Baco, even Diamondback in places) around the brake run and launch track as those are very near to pathing. Not sure how strong those nets are and whether or not they would be able to catch an object as heavy as whatever was thrown by the ride. They'll also probably locate components that could be shaking loose and make use of locking wire and other techniques to ensure that things cannot come apart in the same way again.
Dragster seems likely to be retired at the end of it's service life, but I believe it was meant to operate for a minimum of 25 years. Given it's popularity and status I imagine it would be a tough one for the park to give up on. The only real way I can see it leaving is for Cedar Point to have something to take the height record back from Kingda Ka (assuming Falcon's Flight does not happen).
An enclosed queue with drag racing theming would be awesome. Almost Ferrari world like is what they should do. It would remind me of the days of waiting in line inside Disaster Transport. Hopefully they would actually do a good job at theming
@@RadioMuse1 netting wont save people from mtel it will go right through a net it would need to be moved or enclosed peroid
The netting I described exists explicitly to catch loose objects tossed from rides at speed without deflecting them back into the path of riders. It's not a butterfly net - it's a mix of chain-link and synthetic rope.
Whether or not that would be less expensive than say, enclosing the far end of the queue, is a different question.
Relocating the queue is exactly what was done to Kingda Ka after it had a similar incident in its first season. Nobody was injured in its incident IIRC, but it was much worse in terms of damage to the coaster and the amount of debris thrown from it.
I don't think this accident will be the end of the ride, but eventually the cost of maintaining the ride will not be worth it, and it will be removed. I do think that they will do what Great Adventure did with Kingda Ka and block off public access to so close to the launch track.
I feel that Kingda Ka should be closed for inspection and other extreme coasters
I was at Kings Dominion in 2006 when that incident on Volcano happened. In fact, I was in line for the second time trying to get my first ride on Volcano. During my first attempt a torrential downpour closed the ride. I never did get on Volcano. Getting a rollback on Top Thrill is the last item on my coaster bucket list, so this is discouraging as I hoped to get one during Halloweekends.
Tigershark620, you COULD HAVE gotten 3 MINI rollbacks every ride Wt.!!
Well, let me preface my comment by saying I'm not a big fan of TTD so, even if by some weird ruling it had to go I won't be all that bothered or sad. What I will say is that I think there are far more interesting, thrill seeking, rides offered at CP. To be honest, I'm FAR more concerned about the absolute future of this park rather than the fate of one ride. Though I know die hards still went last summer (summer of 2020) the truth is most skipped it entirely because most could not conceive of enjoying the park under strict c v restrictions. I was THRILLED when they lifted all the restrictions this summer which resulted in me and my family visiting multiple times this summer. Bottom line, there's just no doubt CP lost a lot of revenue during summer 2020...and now, with new and exponentially WORSE, and, imo, downright tyrannical restrictions and demands now beginning to be placed on individuals before Fall has even begun and the demands and pressure that the government is putting on all businesses to demand all their employees get the j a b, and that their customers show proof of such as well, I fear for where CP will be and what they will be facing next season. 1. Many of their employees are under 21 AND many of them will not want that j a b just for the sake of getting a summer job. Then, a whole lot more of their customers aren't going to get it either and certainly not just to be able to go to an OUTDOOR amusement park. How many seasons can a business that is "seasonal" lose half or more of their employees and, worse, way more than half of their customers because of a strong armed mandate regarding said j a b? Bottom line, I'm far more worried about THIS and the entire future of CP than I am about whether or not TTD gets "exhaunerated" or not. Things are getting REALLY scary in this country right now. Doesn't anyone read a basic history book anymore? These sorts of measures never turn out very good for any country trying to go down this sort of path. (Sorry for my personal last thought there at the end of my comment but it's truly how I feel and it is literally and historically the truth). Very sad.🥺
i watched the full 30 second ad for you lukan
Much appreciated Foop
That is something that isn't addressed is PTSD as a result of accidents at parks when stuff goes wrong. Even witnessing it can cause PTSD. It's something that should be dealt with by parks to help those who witness accidents. I feel like that's something that can also help the park too by mitigating people from developing PTSD around theme parks in general. After witnessing or experiencing an incident that's like this can make it so someone even passing or hearing a park ends up being triggered and could be dangerous for them in the long run. I feel like parks having psychologist and psychological support through a partnership with a third party maybe even like a better help sort of thing to assist those who were present may be helpful for them in the long run and a first in the industry.
Don't bet on it. They've probably already fired the rides employee who witnessed this incident. If Cedar Fair is too cheap to offer housing for employees who are from elsewhere, what makes you think they'd afford shrinks to deal with concerns employees might have?
@@hueylongadmirer55 I thought they did offer housing for employees on visas? Thought The buildings are right past CP express. Am I wrong?
@@judiplaz your not wrong. But when I worked there in the mid 2000s, management basically treated you like a number. This pandemic however has changed a lot of things especially this year. CP was more desperate than ever offering $20/hr to get employees. Unfortunately, the initial staffing shortage may have been the reason this accident happened if there was a shortage of qualified maintenance workers. I say qualified because TTD needs the best maintenance workers, not some backyard RUclips mechanic.
@@judiplaz your not wrong. Employees living too far away qualify for employee housing albeit for a reasonable rent subtracted from their paycheck. But when I worked there in the mid 2000s, management basically treated you like a number. This pandemic however has changed a lot of things especially this year. CP was more desperate than ever offering $20/hr to get employees. Unfortunately, the initial staffing shortage may have been the reason this accident happened if there was a shortage of qualified maintenance workers. I say qualified because TTD needs the best maintenance workers, not some backyard RUclips mechanic. Of course anything is possible- could’ve also just been a freak accident.
@@snoboard91503 Thanks for the info. Yeah I knew about the pay hike which is good. But usually the mechanics are full-time and not seasonal correct? So did the older ones retire due to covid or did they get laid off and just never came back? Well having so many great high-tech coasters, they have some serious sensors too. That's why you get a lot of breakdowns or stoppages. You don't see that much with the old woodies. Only issue with them is the ops are slower on them because it takes longer to get in and out! The seats are smaller and tighter lol.
I think if this ride should receive an upgrade, maybe they should replace the hydraulic launch with an LSM launch (like Red Force). However, this could cause two issues. One issue is that the launch track may have to be extended. Another issue is that the acceleration may not be as quick making the launch less intense. Despite these things, I think an LSM launch would be more reliable than a hydraulic one.
They won't remove it anytime too soon. They will no doubt update the queue line in response to the accident. However remember the previous Cedar Fair CEO stated it was his largest regret, and it's no doubt a maintenence nightmare and endless money pit. It makes the Cedar Point skyline iconic, but would probably be removed no later than a decade from now.
El Toro is legit one of the scariest first drops I have ever been on. Also, have done Kingda Ka front row, a handful of times, which is basically the twin of Top Thrill.
Kingda Ka is Top Thrill's big brother
Yes but Kingda Ka never threw parts off of it like Top Thrill Dumpster!!
This has been a really bad year for roller coasters. A lot of weird problems and breakdowns have been happening.
I like to think there's a new COVID variant that affects amusement rides
My theory is this. You are right in the fact that COVID has taken its toll but more-so on STAFFING. World's of Fun were closed a number of days during the week this summer because they were low on staff to run everything. Less staff could have led to more possibility of cutting corners and not being on top of maintenance.
If it was in any other CEDAR FAIR park ,it would have been torn down 15 years ago ,
Remove it now !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is it possible to replace the hydraulic launch with an LSM launch? Kinda crazy but I mean, it would solve a lot of issues.
I don’t know if an lsm launch would be fast enough, the ride would likely have to be lowered in height.
This has been a problematic coaster from the get go maybe its time to tear it down and build something else. Cedar Point, unlike Kings Island, has limited space in which to build new coasters anyway.
It was an L shaped bracket is attached to the bottom of the train, and essentially acts as a sensor to let the computer system know where the train is on the track so it knows when to engage the brakes. It was about the size of an adult male’s hand, and towards the bottom it collided with part of the track and the impact caused it to not just “fall off”, the impact caused it to go shooting off as if someone launched it out of a cannon. Cedar point has been extremely quiet about this one and isn’t sharing any info. I’m sure a huge lawsuit is coming, and this is the 3rd incident that has happened. I personally feel that with cedar point being probably the safest park in the world (just look at their history. They’ve only had one death ever and it was the guy’s fault, since he decided to hop a fence when he dropped his cell on the raptor and got hit by the train. Which I would call that natural selection for just being dumb), that they are going to take it down permanently at the end of the season when they disassemble all of the rides. They just aren’t doing it right now because the investigation is still open #1 and then #2, how would they disassemble the whole thing and scrap it with park guests in the park? It was a fun ride, I loved it, but at the end of the day, the thing has a history of accidents happening, it’s constantly malfunctioning, and if they keep it, it will be just a matter of time before something even more tragic happens that results in a death for example, and cedar point definitely doesn’t want those kind of liabilities. HOWEVER, knowing Disney’s history, this might be a great ride for them 😂😂. They don’t give a shit if they kill someone, as long as they got your money. Probably because they’re such a big corporation that a death ain’t gonna shut em down ever.
I Hope The Lady Is OK OK. I Think It's Cedar Points Responsibility To Make Sure NO 1 Has Anything In There Pockets OR Hands. Cedar Point Is doing ONLY A Fair Job In My Option. Much Room For Improvement Needed
Something broke off the ride this wasn't something that fell out of a person's pocket.
100%%% Sure?? Easy Fix Put A Net Under It Like Baseball
@@drewcorry5056 The Ohio Department of Agriculture confirmed today that it was an L bracket that holds a sensor.
So yes 100% sure.
Video starts at about the 3 minute 10 second mark. ruclips.net/video/5bKSJ-akPG4/видео.html
Yes
Just wondering how this will affect attendance and ridership , at Alton Towers after the smiler incident many people were scared to ride for a while.
Same here. We'll have to see
At 4:00 you can see the track moving
Yeah to reduce stress
I’m sure they build a taller fence to protect people in line next to the track.
Just learned the woman was from the suburbs of flint Michigan. Talk about bad luck. The people of flint Michigan really can't get a break. So sad
I think they should make it an LSM launch, it would make the ride way more reliable and much quieter
Then they would need to have a longer launch track, also LSM launches are way less forceful, I have been on only a few lsm launches but, they do not compare to launches on Kingda Ka and dragster. There is a intiman accelerator at Ferrari land, called Red Force, it is a smaller version of dragster and Ka, but it has a lsm launch, it is way more reliable as you were saying, it is really really really rare to get a rollback on Red Force
I was there in 2004 when that happened
Hey man I love your content. What's the name of your outro song?
Thanks! Here’s the link to the song! ruclips.net/video/FseAiTb8Se0/видео.html
@@amusementscape 🙏🏻
Remember there’s only two strata coasters ever built. If CedarPoint removes a rare gem that would hurt them more than keeping it in the family of coasters they already have. With the removal of wicked twister that might be an area for a T rex to stretch along the coast of the park or tower over gatekeeper and use the premium parking lot.
Been to Cedar point 4 times this year and 3 of the 4 times it was closed all day, and the day I did get to ride it was right before the acident so I was one of the last riders 😂
They'll probably add features to make the ride safer, and they may put water dummies on the ride to test it out. If ttd goes, cedar point would take a drop in tourism given the rides height and popularity. We'll see what happens but this could be a warning that a final incident would end the ride's tenure. Just my guess.
Cedar Point should make TTD a shuttle coaster. It already rolls back a lot.
i like ttd the way it is
There’s definitely no way of seeing it coming because if the l bracket the goes past the sensors was loose the sensors wouldn’t of read right since there’s only about a 3 mm clearance allowed on some sensors so something had to knock it off or something freak had to happen.
As someone who just started to really get into coasters this year, this news frightened me. This and El Toro derailing have put a bad feeling inside me that they will never reopen and I’ll never be able to experience these amazing coasters, even though I know deep down inside they’ll reopen by next year.
I have been going to Six Flags Great adventure my whole life, but not until this year I became an enthusiast, I’ve have been on el toro, Kingda Ka, but Now that I’m really into coasters I want to visit Cedar Points so bad. I live like an 8 hour drive away, even if I was able to go just for a weekend I would be in shock, I want to ride a giga and a hybrid so bad. I am fortunately going to Dollywood late this year, because we are going to Virginia for my brother to look at colleges
I think they need to shut this ride down for good. It's to dangerous and people are getting hurt.
@@yeetchang2937 Just went to Cedar Point my first time on that weekend this horrible accident happened (11 hour drive from MN) Got there on Thursday and TTD was closed but it opened on Friday(what a rush!!!). Millennium Force is awesome too. Mavrick was the ride I went on first(Sooo good!) But my favorite ride there has to be Steel Vengeance (Just nuts)
@@zackt4551 I wish my parents and my siblings were as in to coasters as me
Top thrill is already too expensive to operate everyday.
Me and my friend always call it top thrill downtime
The employees call it Top Thrill DOWNTIME and Top Thrill DUMPSTER!!
01:14 The real reason is because park's management is so obsessed with silencing any discussion about the troubling issues regarding its rides, that they will fire any employee who talks about, or writes on social media, any details regarding issues with the ride. All of this is because, in the words of one supervisor, they don't want any rumors to spread.
It's like this with virtually everything. People who are responsible always try to whitewash shit.
It's not just employees but I know parks that will silence discussion from customers. I had this happen to me when I gave constructive criticism about ways Holiday World could have improved their parks and rides. They didn't like what I had to say so they ended up blocking me over it. How's that for trying to silence people?
The entire midway and que needs to have strong roofs enveloping everything. It's still outdoors... no walls anywhere and no roofs over rides but people need to be protected from projectiles...
I'm only half kidding
Just saying if they do end up removing dragster what are they gonna replace it with?
Copperhead strike will be perfect for that location
Probably a restaurant like they do whenever they take out a ride.
A fun ride sorry it happened. Cedar point has a good safety record
Dude you did not put the link in the description
That bracket that makes no contact with anything, came loose due to CP maintenance. It doesn't touch anything. I don't see any fault being placed on Intamin considering how this bracket is mounted and what it does.
Maybe they will do what they did with hulk and rebuild it at some point with an lsm launch
Does Kinda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure have the same issues?
Sorry it's unrelated but did u hear Fantasy Island is opening the water park tomorrow?
I did! Excited to see it back open!
@@amusementscape I hope they put in another rollercoaster eventually.. I think a new log ride would be a good idea too especially since Darien removed theirs and now Grizzly Run
@@richardlong172 I’d like a new modern water ride
I dont think TTD will get removed because of this one accident i think it was an oversight and they will most likely open next year i mean take a look at Son of beast that had many accidents and it wasn't built properly so i think TTD Will be in the park for mabe 10-20 yrs
This was NOT the first time this ride has had an accident, Sam W. It had 3 so far and one day, it's time will be up, if it is not already. And the Son of Beast was demolished, so that logic just went down the figurative roller coaster hill.
ngl I was scared that you were gonna be insensitive in the video, and I was suprized pleasently, thank you
If they have to fix damage to the ride, then I get it. If it's because of the incident in general, then I don't. People have been killed on rides before and they open the next day or two days later. Cedar Point has an excellent history of safety. If anyone is hurt or dies, it's usually by natural causes.
Good thing im going to cedar point next year for the first time