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Ohio's Cedar Point permanently shuts down one of its premier thrill rides

Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point, which debuted in 2003 and was permanently closed in 2022. It had not operated since August 2021, after a bracket fell from the ride and critically injured a Michigan woman standing on the ground.
Coasterman1234
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Via Wikimedia Commons
Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point, which debuted in 2003 and was permanently closed in 2022. It had not operated since August 2021, after a bracket fell from the ride and critically injured a Michigan woman standing on the ground.

Cedar Point in Sandusky is permanently grounding what was the fastest and tallest roller coaster in the world when it debuted 19 years ago – the Top Thrill Dragster.

In a park-produced video in 2013, Cedar Point's communications director Tony Clark shouted over the noise of the Top Thrill Dragster, saying it's been giving millions and millions of riders a 17 second side ride at 120 miles an hour. That video celebrated Top Thrill Dragster’s 10th anniversary.

The ride won’t make it to its 20th anniversary.

Cedar Point tweeted out a statement saying the ride is being retired and its team is working on “creating a new and reimagined ride experience”.

The $25 million ride has had repeated issues, and last August a bracket fell off the rideand hit a Michigan woman in the head, critically injuring her. The ride hasn't operated since. A state investigation cleared Cedar Point of wrongdoing in that incident.

Cedar Point declined an interview, referring back to its statement on social media, which adds that more details and information will be shared at a later date.

Cedar Fair, the parent company of Cedar Point, also owns Ohio's other big amusement park, Kings Island in Mason near Cincinnati.

Copyright 2022 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.