Cedar Point to close Top Thrill Dragster for the remainder of the 2021 season

SANDUSKY – Cedar Point announced on Thursday that the Top Thrill Dragster will be closed for the remainder of the 2021 season. The ride has been closed since Sunday, when a female guest was hospitalized after a metal object fell from the ride.

“We want to fully understand what happened and why. Together with the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture’s Division of Amusement Ride Safety & Fairs, third party investigators, engineers and the ride’s manufacturer, we are being careful, methodical and thorough. We will not rush the investigation and will work tirelessly in our search for answers in the interest of improving safety,” the park wrote on its Facebook page. “The safety of our guests and associates is our top priority and we refuse to operate any ride or attraction without total confidence in its safety.”

The ride opened in 2003. Since then, it has had two other incidents where people were injured. The first one was in 2004, when four people were struck by flying debris while on the ride. In the first incident, all four were treated by first aid and two of them sought further medical attention. The second was in 2016, when the launch cable detached from the ride. In the second incident, two people were treated by first aid for minor injuries.