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The world’s second-tallest roller coaster — Ohio amusement park Cedar Point’s Top Thrill Dragster coaster — is permanently closing, park officials announced on Tuesday.
"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," Tony Clark, the director of communications at Cedar Point, tweeted on Tuesday. "However, Cedar Point’s legacy of ride innovation continues. Our team is hard at work, creating a new and reimagined ride experience."
The decision by Cedar Point comes a year after a small metal object flew off the 420-foot tall Top Thrill Dragster coaster and struck a woman in the head at the park in Sandusky.
The woman was seriously injured while standing in line after being struck by a flying part that came off one of the ride’s fast-moving trains, according to Cleveland.com
Riders on the Top Thrill Dragster speed along on May 1, 2003, at Cedar Point Amusement Park, in Sandusky, Ohio. (AP Photo/Paul M. Walsh, File)
A state investigation found no evidence that the park acted illegally or had reason to believe the ride was unsafe. The ride has remained closed since the Aug. 15, 2021, accident.
Park officials did not say if the accident influenced their decision to permanently close the coaster.
Amusement park goers ride Cedar Point's Top Thrill Dragster on May 1, 2003, in Sandusky, Ohio. (Daniel Miller/The Sandusky Register via AP, File)
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The Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey, is considered the world's tallest with a 456-foot elevation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
