SANDUSKY — The Ohio Department of Agriculture released new information following an incident where a female guest was injured at Cedar Point earlier this month.
ODA officials said in a release that a woman who was struck by an object from the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster was hit in the head by a bracket the size of the average adult male’s hand.
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The incident happened on Aug. 15 while the woman was standing in line for the ride.
Upon inspection, it was determined that half of the bolts which secured the plate to the train body had also dislodged, the release said.
ODA inspectors also found that the brake bracket area of the track, which slows the cars at the end of each ride, showed signs of impact and deformation. Several horizontal track beams also showed signs of impact within approximately 25 feet of the damaged brake bracket, according to the release.
The woman was taken to a local hospital. Additional details on what exact injuries she suffered or an update on her condition were not released.
“ODA takes very seriously the safety of all amusement rides in the state and is saddened by this tragic incident and the impact upon the victim,” said ODA Chief of Amusement Ride Safety David Miran. “We have spoken with her family to inform them of the status of the investigation, and we will continue to work to determine exactly how the flag plate dislodged.”
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ODA said they have sent the green train car to a laboratory so the bolts that remain in the train body can be examined.
The report is expected to provide more insight on how the flag plate may have dislodged, ODA said.
ODA is also continuing to investigate how the damage to the track happened.
ODA has ordered the Top Thrill Dragster to stop operation during the course of the investigation and pending subsequent reinspection.