Woman injured by Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster in Ohio files suit

Apr 18, 2024

SANDUSKY, Ohio − A Michigan woman who was seriously injured when she was struck in the head by a metal bracket that flew off a roller coaster at an Ohio amusement park is suing the park for negligence.

Rachel Hawes filed the lawsuit against Cedar Point amusement park Wednesday, nearly two years after the piece of metal flew off the Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster – at the time, the world's second-tallest coaster at more than 400 feet high – while she was waiting in line to ride it, landing her in intensive care.

The lawsuit says she suffered “permanent, disabling personal injuries, including skull fractures and traumatic brain injury” when the metal plate detached from a train car and struck her head on Aug. 15, 2021. She and her father, who was waiting with her in line, and her husband are plaintiffs in the suit that identifies roughly $13.2 million in losses and medical costs.

The suit comes after a state investigation found last year there was no evidence that Cedar Point acted illegally or had reason to believe the ride was unsafe.

Amusement park ride injuries are relatively rare ‒ and from flying metal likely exceedingly so – at only 1 in more than 15 million rides, according to industry estimates. But they can be especially severe, given high speeds and thrilling heights like those on the Cedar Point coaster, which hasn't reopened since Hawes was injured.

PREVIOUSLY:Woman 'fighting for her life' after being struck in the head by falling roller coaster piece

Hawes was waiting in line to ride the Top Thrill Dragster with her father when the metal plate dislodged from a train and struck her in the head.

The object was an "L-shaped" bracket roughly the size of a man's hand that had been attached to the back of a train car, state investigators said.

Bolts had secured the bracket in place, hovering just over the track as the train zoomed along. A series of sensors monitoring the coaster showed it reached 120 mph in 3.8 seconds and shot up the ride's 420-foot climb for a ride that lasted less than 20 seconds, David Miran, the Ohio Department of Agriculture's chief of amusement rides, told the Akron Beacon Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.

During its descent, the bracket hit the coaster's track and came off, Miran said.

An investigation by the ODA found that half of the bolts that secured the bracket to the train body had also dislodged.

Bodycam footage from first responders depicts a confusing and frantic scene as rescuers and people nearby began to realize what happened and the extent of Hawes' injuries. A summer trip to the amusement park turned terrifying, tragic and life-altering.

Before Hawes' trip to Cedar Point in 2021, she was enrolled in graduate school to become an educator. All changed following her injuries, the lawsuit says.

She suffered a traumatic brain injury, bleeding and brain swelling, according to the complaint. Hawes was also treated for a right-side open skull fracture with a cerebral laceration, contusions and loss of consciousness that exceeded 24 hours, according to the lawsuit.

She was rendered "permanently disabled," no longer able to reach potential earning capacity – more than $1.2 million, according to the suit. Her medical costs soared to more than $2 million.

Attorneys for Hawes and her family members didn't immediately respond to a message from USA TODAY Friday seeking more details. The lawsuits said her future medical care and daily living assistance could cost an additional $10 million.

Amusement parks and carnivals across the country have reported several dangerous mishaps so far this season.

A North Carolina roller coaster was shut down June 30 after video filmed at Carowinds amusement park showed a large crack on a steel support pillar that moved out of place as the ride operated.

Earlier this month, fairgoers in Crandon, Wisconsin, were left stuck upside down on a ride for hours after a malfunction with the coaster.

And in Georgia, in another amusement park accident over the July 4th holiday weekend, a 5-year-old boy plunged 20 feet from a waterslide.

In 2021, there were an estimated 1,224 injuries on amusement park rides in the U.S. and Canada, according to data from 238 parks collected by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. Of those injuries, about 383 were on roller coasters.

"The chance of being seriously injured on a fixed-site ride at a U.S. amusement park is 1 in 15.5 million rides taken," the IAAPA says.

North Carolina coaster closes:Video shows crack on support pillar at Carowinds

Contributing: The Associated Press