Stomach-churning moment riders are forced to get off Cedar Point roller coaster and WALK down its 200ft high staircase after carriage stopped in mid-air
- The incident, which was caught on video, happened at the Magnum XL-200 roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio
- A mechanical issue led the ride to stop near its peak and video showed the riders having to slowly walk down the 200ft high staircase
- While a spokesperson for the park called it a ‘standard ride stoppage,’ it was unable to be restarted and therefor needed to be evacuated
The first roller coaster in history to go 200 feet high had a mechanical issue on Monday that led it to come to a complete stop and forced guests to make the terrifying walk down.
The incident, which was caught on video, happened at the Magnum XL-200 roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.
A mechanical issue led the ride to stop near its peak and video showed the riders having to slowly walk down the teetering staircase with nothing but a thin metal handrail to cling to.
Tony Clark, a spokesperson for the amusement park, referred to it as similar to a ‘check engine light’ in a motor vehicle.
While he called it a ‘standard ride stoppage,’ it was unable to be restarted and therefor needed to be evacuated, Fox News reported.
The first roller coaster in history to go 200 feet high had a mechanical issue on Monday that led it to come to a complete stop and forced guests to make the terrifying walk down
When it opened in 1989, the Magnum XL-200 was celebrated by the Guinness Book of World Records for having the highest edge height in the world.
It was also, at the time it debuted, the fastest and steepest complete-circuit coaster on earth, topping out at speeds of 72 miles per hour.
It was the first ride to go over 200 feet and received historical landmark status in 2004, according to the park’s website.
The ride, which lasts about two minutes and 45 seconds, is also renowned for its views of the coastline of Canada.
Cedar Point, which opened in 1870 and is the second-oldest amusement park in the United States, is bringing back a revamped version of what was once the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster – after the original was closed when a failure injured a waiting guest.
It’s the second time Cedar Point has made headline this week – after the park unveiled a revamped version of a coaster that shut down after a woman was severely injured riding it in 2021.
Set to open at Cleveland’s Cedar Point next year, The Top Thrill 2 will rocket revelers 420 feet into the air, park presiders said in a statement, before falling backwards and then forward once again at speeds of 120mph.
Themed to Top Fuel drag racing, the ride – which has three segments and is classed as a ‘triple-launch’ coaster – will also feature a launch track designed like a dragstrip, where straightaway speeds are poised to surprise the most seasoned of enthusiasts.
In 2021, a guest was severely injured by a metal bracket while standing in line outside the coaster and the park’s previously unmarred reputation took a hit.
Cedar Point, which opened in 1870 and is the second-oldest amusement park in the United States, faced bad publicity earlier this summer as well
Cedar Point, which opened in 1870 and is the second-oldest amusement park in the United States, is bringing back a revamped version of what was once the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster – after the original was closed when a failure injured a waiting guest
The ride was closed and later revamped with the new experience, while Rachel Hawes, a 46-year-old from Michigan, sued the park for negligence.
Her suit, filed two weeks ago, claims she will need medical assistance for the rest of her life after the bracket fell from the ride – and quantifies the costs of treatment she now faces in the excess of $10 million.
Days after that suit demanded that sum in damage, Cedar Point issued its statement announcing the ride’s replacement.
At the time a spokesperson for the park said ‘a small metal object became disengaged from a train on the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster as it was ending its run.’
The Ohio Department of Agriculture conducted an investigation and issued a 620-page report but did not find evidence that the park had acted illegally or that the ride was unsafe.
Hawes states that her medical expenses as a result of the accident have exceeded $2 million, with future medical care and treatment expecting to cost over $10 million.
Set to open at Cleveland’s Cedar Point next year, the revamped Top Thrill 2 will rocket revelers 420 feet into the air, park presiders said in a statement, before falling backwards and then forward once again at speeds of 120mph.
Themed to Top Fuel drag racing, the ride – which has three segments and is classed as a ‘triple-launch’ coaster – will also feature a launch track designed like a dragstrip, where straightaway speeds are poised to surprise the most seasoned of speed demons
‘She will need assistance with activities of daily living for the remainder of her life,’ the lawsuit states.
She is asking the court to rule that Cedar Point must compensate her for damages, including value of medical services, loss of wages, lost earning potential and physical pain suffered.
Cedar Point shut the ride, which first opened in 2003 and stood at 420ft, following Hawes’ accident and announced it would be permanently retired in September 2022 ahead of a revamp.
In a statement at the time the park said: ‘After 19 seasons in operation with 18 million riders experiencing the world’s first strata coaster, Top Thrill Dragster, as you know it, is being retired.
‘However, Cedar Point’s legacy of ride innovation continues. Our team is hard at work, creating a new and reimagined ride experience.’
A spokesperson for Cedar Point said ‘as a matter of company policy, we do not comment on pending litigation.’
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