Cedar Point Shuts Down 93-MPH Roller Coaster After Metal Part Falls Into Guest Area
One of Cedar Point’s most famous roller coasters was shut down after a metal bracket fell from a ride vehicle into an area where park guests were walking. The incident happened on Friday, October 16, and fortunately, nobody was hurt.
Millennium Force was immediately taken out of service at the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park. Six Flags spokesperson Sara Gordon told Cleveland 19 News that the bracket had come loose from one of the coaster’s cars and landed in a guest area.
The park said no guests or employees were struck by the falling part. Cedar Point initially planned to keep the ride closed until an internal review and an additional state inspection could be completed.
Millennium Force reaches speeds of 93 mph and was the world’s first roller coaster to top 300 feet when it opened in 2000. According to Cedar Point’s website, the ride takes passengers through tunnels, over hills and past lagoons.
Photos of Fallen Coaster Part Spread Online
Embedded media follows. Please allow a moment for it to load.
Photos claiming to show the fallen piece began circulating on social media Friday. In a Reddit discussion, some people questioned whether the photos were real before Cedar Point confirmed that a bracket had fallen from Millennium Force.
One commenter said they’d first seen the photo in a Facebook roller coaster group, where the person who posted it claimed to have picked up the piece and turned it in. Others weren’t convinced the photo was real until Cedar Point confirmed the incident.
Millennium Force Reopens Saturday Night
Coasters Unlimited posted nighttime footage Saturday, October 17, announcing that Millennium Force was running again. Parkgoers also reported seeing test runs, and some said the ride was showing as open in Cedar Point’s app.
Cedar Point later confirmed to Attractions Magazine that the coaster was back open after maintenance inspections and required safety checks. The park had said Friday that an additional state inspection was needed, but it hasn’t made those findings public.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture handles amusement ride inspections throughout the state. Its inspectors examine rides while they’re stopped and watch them operate to make sure the mechanical components are working properly.
Other Cedar Point Coasters Have Lost Parts
On June 21, park guest Marisol Santiago posted a Facebook video showing a metal piece she said had fallen from Magnum XL-200 and missed her head by inches. She said employees shut down the ride for about an hour after her group told them what happened. Santiago said the park gave her group four premium meal vouchers for reporting the problem.
On August 15, 2021, a metal plate came off Top Thrill Dragster and struck Rachel Hawes while she was waiting in line. She was hospitalized with a brain injury, and Cedar Point eventually replaced the original coaster with Top Thrill 2.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s investigation concluded in February 2022 that there wasn’t enough evidence to find that Cedar Point had violated state ride safety laws. No connection has been established between that incident and the latest Millennium Force closure.
