Auslöser für den Unfall war scheinbar Bruch eines Fahrwerkträgers...___snip___
Did crack cause coaster jolt?
Son of Beast was closed before accident, patrons say
MASON - A cracked support beam could be to blame for a roller coaster accident Sunday that sent 27 people to the hospital, according to a state inspection agency.
The Son of Beast roller coaster at Paramount's Kings Island is shut down indefinitely as the Ohio Department of Agriculture - which annually inspects every amusement park ride in the state - investigates what went wrong Sunday afternoon.
The coaster was halted at 4:45 p.m. after riders described feeling a big jolt. Some suffered welts from the safety restraints, difficulty breathing and pain. A stream of ambulances transported people to hospitals. All but two had been released Monday afternoon.
State officials ordered the 7,000-foot-long ride shut after walking the tracks Monday and finding "structural problems," Director Fred Dailey said.
"It was obvious there was a failure of the timber."
One horizontal timber - a wooden support beam - had "cracked and had actually splintered in places," he said. Other timbers might also be unsound.
Although a cracked timber would not have caused the train to leave the track, it could have created a dip. That would have explained the jolt riders felt, Dailey said.
The problem timber is on a short section of track going down one of the coaster's hills.
Dailey said it likely broke at the time of the accident, or one or two rides earlier. Inspectors will comb the ride for problems, go over maintenance records and interview riders.
Park-goers said the coaster was also shut down Saturday evening and Sunday morning - even before the accident.
Kings Island officials confirmed that the coaster did not open until 1:35 p.m. Sunday - three hours after the park opened.
Spokeswoman Maureen Kaiser did not know exactly why the ride was shut down but said it was not necessarily related to the accident later that afternoon.
The coaster was also closed around 7 p.m. Saturday, said John Faulkner, 34, of Dunkirk, Ind., who tried to get on it with his family. He said a girl was holding ice to her arm with the help of park medics at the foot of the ride. Another girl had a bloody nose, he said.
"I don't know that those two girls were hurt on the ride, but you put two and two together," he said. Park officials could not confirm the Saturday shutdown and said they had no knowledge of injuries.
Those who rode the coaster earlier Sunday described it as rough and shaky.
"It was so shaky it was like you were being thrown around everywhere. I couldn't even lift my neck up from the momentum," said Michelle Dille, 21, of Hyde Park, who rode it around 3:30 p.m. Sunday with her fiancé and brother.
"(My fiancé) was pinned. He said, 'I honestly felt like my back was going to shatter.'"
That was the Hyde Park trio's first time on the ride. Some seasoned riders also said the coaster seemed rougher than usual.
"The last one was much more violent," said Mark SooHoo, 25, of Alexandria, Va., who rode Son of Beast three times in a row Sunday - the last time around 4:20 p.m. "It's a great ride, but by the third one, we were feeling pretty banged up."
The Son of Beast passed its annual inspection May 19, Dailey said. But it appears the Son of Beast has been plagued with problems.
The ride was closed for several weeks shortly after its debut in 2000. Officials said they wanted to smooth a 15-foot section of track.
In 2001, two men broke their necks within three weeks from the forces exerted on the ride, according to SaferParks, a nonprofit corporation aimed at preventing amusement ride accidents. One man had a pre-existing arthritic condition, SaferParks said.
In 2003, an investigation was launched after a 52-year-old woman was taken to the hospital after complaining of back pain on the ride, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The investigation revealed no evidence of malfunction.
The Amusement Safety Organization, an independent amusement park research organization, says the Son of Beast is the most complained-about ride at Kings Island.
It says riders frequently complain of back and neck pain - sometimes severe.
"It sure seems like a problem with the number of complaints we've gotten and the severity of the complaints," said Matt Keatts, director of east coast operations for the organization. "Roller coasters are supposed to be enjoyable."
The Virginia native came to Mason last year to see for himself.
"It seemed a lot of the feedback was justified," he said.
The safety organization raised the issue with Kings Island officials but got little reaction, Keatts said.
Fairfield resident Don Helbig, a member of American Coaster Enthusiasts, agrees that Son of Beast is a little rougher than other rides at the park but says it has improved tremendously since last year.
"They did a lot of work on it earlier in the year. I rode it a couple times last week. I thought it was a lot smoother," he said.
He was surprised to learn of the accident Sunday. He's ridden the coaster 404 times.
Ohio typically has about five coaster accidents a year, Dailey said.
(c) The Enquirer, 11. Juli 2006 von Jessica Brown
Now I will raise the safety bar and a ghost will follow you home
Druckversion
, 11-Jul-06, 19:34 Uhr, (10)
. Ob die Kiste allerdings nun so richtig Spaß macht, zu zig Wiederholungsfahrten einlädt und sich auf Hitlisten von Fans wiederfindet, steht in der Tat auf einem ganz anderen Blatt Papier 
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