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Cedar Point says Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster is being retired

The record-setting roller coaster opened in 2003 and has been closed since August 2021 after a woman was injured waiting in line.

SANDUSKY, Ohio — Cedar Point is retiring its tallest and fastest roller coaster. The park made the announcement regarding Top Thrill Dragster on Tuesday.

“After 19 seasons in operation with 18 million riders experiencing the world's first strata coaster, Top Thrill Dragster, as you know it, is being retired,” the statement read.

Cedar Point said their team is working on creating a “new and reimagined ride experience” and will share more details at a later date.

The ride has been shut down since August 2021 after Rachel Hawes, of Swartz Creek, Mich., was seriously injured while waiting in line. She was struck in the head by an L-shaped bracket that came loose from one of the trains.

The bracket is known as a flag plate, which is attached to the back of each train and acts as a sensor to help the ride's operating system monitor where vehicles are on the track. 

Following a six-month investigation, the Ohio Department of Agriculture cleared Cedar Point of any legal wrongdoing in the accident.

According to the department, they conducted a post-accident inspection of the ride, interviewed Cedar Point staff, and reviewed thousands of pages of maintenance records, witness reports and lab reporting. ODA said it "could not establish the levels of necessary proof" to bring any charges.

Despite the findings, the park kept the ride closed for the 2022 season.

RELATED: Top Thrill Dragster will not open in 2022

RELATED: Cedar Point cleared by state in Top Thrill Dragster incident that injured woman

RELATED: Officials say bracket broke off Top Thrill Dragster train, struck woman in the head

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