Cedar Point closing Top Thrill Dragster; ride to be 'reimagined' after injury

It was once the tallest roller coaster in the world.

And some 19 years and a troubled past later, Cedar Point is retiring the famed Top Thrill Dragster.

The ride that dominates the Sandusky park's skyline has sat idle since a tragic mishap last August severely injured a park customer. A piece of the ride became dislodged and struck a woman standing in line in the head.

State investigators spent five months looking into the cause of the accident. They found loose bolts, signs of wear, deformation, and impact marks on train cars and sections of track over the spot where a metal plate broke from the ride and fell.

The piece of metal described as about the size of "a man's hand" struck the woman Aug. 15, 2021. The accident left 44-year-old Michigan resident Rachel Hawes in intensive care with a brain injury, the family said in a statement after the accident.

Top Thrill Dragster investigation

The Ohio Department of Agriculture — charged with the inspection of amusement rides — found in its February report that Cedar Point had no knowledge that the ride was in an unsafe condition the day of the accident.

State investigation:Cedar Point cleared in Top Thrill accident investigation.

The plate that dislodged was attached by bolts and was supposed to hover just over the track and a series of sensors that kept tabs on the coaster as it made its way at breakneck speed up and over a 420-foot-tall hill in 17 seconds.

Before the mishap, some 18 million guests rode the ride, which sent riders in the air at a speed of 120 miles per hour in just 3.8 seconds.

When it opened in 2003, Top Thrill Dragster was the tallest and fastest coaster in the world, but those records were surpassed in 2005 by the Kingda Ka coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. It also boasted faux Goodyear Tires when it first opened.

Past Top Thrill Dragster incidents

From the start, the coaster was plagued by issues that led to its frequent closings as the park grappled with its complicated and temperamental hydraulic system.

Riders were injured in a pair of previous mishaps on the coaster. In July 2004, four passengers were struck by flying debris from a frayed metal cable, and in 2016 two riders were injured when a launch cable detached from the coaster.

The ride attracted long lines and gawkers since its opening in 2003. It even had a set of bleachers where onlookers could watch it run.

Cedar Point's future

In its announcement on social media Monday morning, Cedar Point said the ride "as you know it is being retired."

The park said an announcement will be made later of a new and "reimagined" ride experience.

While the Top Thrill will be gone at the start of the 2023 season and its apparent replacement remains in limbo, there will be a new coaster at the park next summer. And it couldn't be more different size-wise and otherwise.

Cedar Point is bringing back a Wild Mouse coaster to its reimagined new Boardwalk area along the eastern beach side of the park.

The new Wild Mouse roller coaster will reach a height of 52 feet and boast six mouse-themed cars and one that is cheese-themed. The new coaster will feature cars that spin 360 degrees as it navigates 1,312 feet of dipping and twisting orange track.

The park's old Wild Mouse coaster — the Wildcat — was removed in 2011 to make way for an outdoor stage near the Valravn roller coaster.

Cedar Point's summer 2023 plans:New Wild Mouse coaster and lakefront restaurant to be part of revamped Boardwalk area at Cedar Point.

The park's roster of active roller coasters now stands at just 16 — down from 18 a season ago — as it approaches its popular fall HalloWeekends season.

The Top Thrill Dragster joins the ranks of the Wicked Twister, Mean Streak, Mantis and Disaster Transport that were either removed or completely reimagined in recent memory.

Cedar Point boasts best and biggest coasters, enthusiast says

The legacy of the Top Thrill Dragster and its place in roller coaster history will never be forgotten, said Elizabeth Ringas, communications director for the American Coaster Enthusiasts club.

Simply put, Ringas said, Cedar Point has a rich history of building the biggest and best roller coasters over the years, earning it the moniker of "America's Roller Coast." The fact that Cedar Point still has 16 roller coasters in its lineup is still impressive, Ringas said, as many so-called major parks boast less than 10.

Some 860 ACE members traveled near and far this summer for a club gathering in Sandusky to take in the park's roller coasters.

Ringas, who once lived near Cincinnati but now calls Virginia home, said she will miss the Dragster, having ridden it some 50 times over the years. She remembers waiting three hours and 45 minutes to ride it the first time because it was having some mechanical issues on that particular day.

"The feeling of the wind catching your cheeks," she said. "There was just nothing like it on Earth."

Ringas said Cedar Point never does a major ride halfway, so she's pretty confident whatever becomes of the revamped Dragster will be memorable too.

"I'm on the edge of my seat to see what happens," she said. "I hope this leads to something great."

Craig Webb, who once had a rare rollback on the Dragster, can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cedar Point closing Top Thrill Dragster; ride to be 'reimagined'