This is the Skyhawk at Cedar Point in Ohio, a 10-story tall “Screamin’ Swing” ride that flings its passengers round and round at up to 100 kilometres per hour. It’s the tallest of its kind, bringing its 40 passengers as high as 38 metres off the ground at the apex of a swing. It’s scary enough on a normal day, but last night, one of its cables snapped.
Ohio’s Cedar Point amusement park has closed Skyhawk indefinitely following yesterday’s incident, reports the AP, and for good reason too. When the cable connecting one of the rider carriages broke off, it hit two passengers and broke the fence directly in front of the ride. Both injured parties appear to be OK now, though one was hospitalized following the incident. According to an eyewitness account on Cleveland.com:
Kevin Gregg, who was near the ride but not on it when the accident occurred, said at least one of the injured guests was a spectator who was hit in the mouth with wood debris.
“It didn’t look too serious, but he was in pain,” said Gregg, of Barnegat, N.J., who runs an amusement park fan website called Themeparkmaniacs.com.
Gregg said he saw a second guest, a girl, get into an ambulance after the accident. “She walked on her own power,” he said.
It’s unclear if and when Skyhawk will open again. In the meantime, it’s a strange day when the world’s tallest waterslide feels like a safer bet than a big dumb swing. [AP; Cleveland.com]
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