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from a standstill to a Breakneck 120 miles per hour (193kph) in just 3.9 seconds
that's the promise that the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster has delivered
on since its first iconic ride in 2003 but the 420 Foot (128m) Tall Cedar Point ride
hasn't moved since a devastating accident left a woman with severe brain injuries
so in this video I'm analyzing the incidents that ended the Top Thrill Dragster
it's a warm Sunday in Ohio on August 15 2021 44 year old Rachel Haws has traveled from Swartz
Creek Michigan to experience the gravity-defying ride that lasts only 17 seconds in reality she
has no idea that merely standing in line for this ride will change her life forever as the
Top Thrill Dragster hits the Apex on its final descent a piece of metal from one of the trains
on the roller coaster breaks off during mid-ride and flies towards Hawes hitting her in the back of
the head her father Robert Edmonds Witnesses the incident he sees what looks like a black
Square flying in the air hitting his daughter as the roller coaster train returns to the station
where did the mysterious black Square come from and how did it end up flying off on the ride
when the Top Thrill Dragster launched in 2003 it was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the
countdown of the so-called Christmas tree light before the roller coaster Springs into action
it then launches 400 feet (122m) straight into the air and a 90 degree incline and a speed of
120 miles per hour (193kph) the ride then cruises to the peak before it flies straight back down
with a 270 degree Corkscrew Twist on the way down while there are no official figures for
how many people were queuing to ride the Top Thrill Dragster that day attendance records
show that the ride can serve over 900 Riders per hour through its turnstiles according to another
bystander the object that struck the woman flew like a metal disc through the air the witness
John McDermott who was standing in line for the ride with his girlfriend and six-year-old son
says he was around 20 feet from her when he saw a piece of metal about the size of the palm of
his hand hit the crowd and then saw the victims sink to the floor screaming in agony also cueing
in the line on that fateful afternoon was David vallo a registered nurse he said the scene was
majorly chaotic with crowds of people screaming and jumping over the gates towards the exit valo
heard someone yell that a woman was hurt so he ran through the crowd towards the commotion to find
her then he and some of the other patrons took off their shirts to try to treat her injuries as best
they could the Park's Emergency Medical Services arrived shortly after that EMS body camera footage
shows a group of people surrounding the spot where Hawes was lying on the floor it also captured
an off-duty County Sheriff's deputy explaining what he witnessed during the traumatic event oh
shot downwards Haws was taken to a nearby hospital with what reports refer to as
an unknown type of head injury however a statement released by her family a few days
after the incident stated that she was in the ICU in critical condition with a brain injury
but what exactly was this unknown metal object that led to this horrifying experience
following the shocking events Ohio Department of Agriculture investigators who inspect all the
amusement rides in the state descended on Cedar Point they conducted post-accident inspections
fine comb thousands of Maintenance reports witness reports and laboratory findings and interviewed
more than 10 Cedar Point staff it was later found that the piece of metal that struck Hawes in the
back of her head was in fact an L-shaped bracket that connects to the back of the roller coaster
car investigators explained that the bracket roughly the size of an adult male's hand is
connected to the back of the car and is intended to hover over the track the bracket or proximity
flag plate effectively communicates with the roller coaster operating system telling it that
the train is passed over a specific portion of the track though during the rides 420 foot descent
the bracket dislodged along with half the bolts which secured it and struck the victim in the head
according to the chief of amusement rides David Miron the Top Thrill Dragster was last inspected
three months before the incident on May 14th and no significant issues were discovered
the attraction therefore passed its Statewide inspection which declared it compliant on May 15
2021. and because of Tyler's law which came into effect in 2017 after the tragic death of Tyler
Jarrell who was flung from a ride at the Ohio State Fair all roller coasters must be inspected
twice a year by at least two inspectors the top thrilled dragster's second inspection was due in
September with the park performing daily checks on the roller coaster following the accident the
25 million dollar ride was shut down for the rest of the 2021 season to allow for further
investigations in a report released six months after the incident Ohio Department of Agriculture
investigators found insufficient evidence to find Cedar Fair entertainment company the holding
company guilty of any infringements the lengthy 620-page report included an accident report of the
ride reviews of hundreds of Maintenance records witness accounts and interviews with Cedar Point
staff according to the Department of Agriculture the investigation wasn't established to determine
the cause of the accident but rather to guarantee the park followed all the laws and regulations to
ensure the ride was safe for its patrons therefore found no negligence stating the ride including
the flag plate had been inspected the evening before the accident and did not find any damage
the full report noted that the bolts which were intact on the morning of the 15th failed
by instantaneous overload fracture one had suddenly fractured between the head and the
Bolt's body at some point between the earlier maintenance checks and the incident additionally
interviews with the maintenance staff involved with the upkeep and operation of the track and
the roller coaster listed two other instances in the months leading up to the accident where staff
had replaced missing bolts on the Top Thrill Dragster and a maintenance record from days
before indicates that one worker had tightened 16 brake bolts and repaired a hitting break on August
13th the Park's manager of ride maintenance said the proximity flag plates at the back
of each roller coaster train are removed and then replaced every year during the Park's off-season
with reduced usage during the covid pandemic the overhaul was scaled back in consultation with the
ride's manufacturer intamin investigators however said they considered this when they found that the
park had not committed any violations stating that Cedar Point had adhered to its reduced overhaul
agreement the report concluded that Cedar Point's maintenance program for the roller coaster was
perv the manufacturer's recommendations it found that based on maintenance records staff had been
actively inspecting making the necessary repairs and Performing preventative maintenance to the
roller coaster a stop operation order has been imposed by the state following an inspection of
the ride on August 16th one day after the incident in 2021 it listed a series of defects such as
multiple loose bolts and fixed brake fins and the brake framework additionally numerous bolts were
found to be of a different or improper grade and several mechanical issues were found pertaining
to the train cars it also found suspected damage to the ride's brake assembly the ride remained out
of commission for the 2022 season followed by more bad news from Cedar Point on September 6th 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 as of the making of this video a large crane is
on site and pieces of the launch track have been removed even though the 2021 incident retired the
coaster it wasn't the first before we get into that I want to tell you about today's sponsor
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the ride was frequently closed for maintenance associated with the complicated hydraulic launch
system at each one of those mechanical or electrical components has a has a failure
life it's going to go bad at some point there are so many components in this system that we
have to keep on top of them on July 14 2004 four people were pelted by flying debris while on the
ride reports found that the launch cable which resembles a thick metal rope frayed during the
launch shearing off pieces of metal that hit the Riders their injuries were not life-threatening
mainly abrasions and cuts which were treated at the park in a later incident on August 7 2016
four Riders were also hit by flying debris while on the coaster after the launch cable
detached from the ride two were treated for minor injuries and the Top Thrill was closed
the following day for investigations it's unknown what's become of Rachel Hawes or if she recovered
from her injuries the last day been released by the family was a few days after the incident in
2021 when the victim was transported to Saint Vincent's Hospital in Toledo the family said
they were devastated by the accident at Cedar Point and thanked everyone for their thoughts and
prayers they said that Rachel was fighting for her life and that the family would like some privacy
this tragic accident won't prevent more than 380 million people from taking about
1.7 billion roller coaster rides in Parks across the U.S annually watch this episode next if you
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