Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Top Thrill Dragster CLOSED INDEFINITELY
This is breaking news.
About 8:20 last night metal shards from the launch cable came off and injured four riders.
SANDUSKY, Ohio -- Four people are recovering after shards of metal started flying Monday while they were riding the Dragster, NewsChannel5 reported.
Some were also burned by some type of oily substance.
A metal cable was reportedly frayed, and when the cart rolled over the cable metal shards were sent flying, said Janice Witherow, Cedar Point's spokeswoman.
The riders were reportedly treated at the park's First Aid station. Two others reportedly chose to seek medical attention at a Sandusky hospital.
One rider was reportedly injured when a shard of metal struck him in the chest. His condition, however, is unknown. Privacy laws forbid hospitals from releasing information on conditions.
Terry Downey said his 20-year-old son, Joel, was on the ride with friends when he told him that something snapped. The ride reaches 120 mph.
"All of the sudden, it felt like they were being hit by bugs because the ride was going so fast," he said. "He said when the ride stopped everybody was looking at him and he said there was blood on everybody."
Meanwhile, Cedar Point officials said the park has an overall good safety record. The ride, however, is shut down indefinitely. This is the second time this month that the ride has been shut down.
