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Only two of VertiGo's towers remain standing in Cedar Point's Challenge Park.
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Section of VertiGo fails at Cedar Point

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Section of VertiGo fails at Cedar Point

SANDUSKY - Cedar Point has summoned engineering experts to try to figure out what caused a steel support column to collapse on the park's new VertiGo slingshot ride.

The tower, one of three 265-foot posts that support the ride, snapped about 65 feet up, sending a 200-foot section crashing to the ground sometime Monday.

No one was nearby in the park, which is closed for the winter, when the column broke. A Cedar Point maintenance worker noticed the fallen steel tower about 3:30 p.m., park spokeswoman Janice Witherow said.

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Cedar Point is investigating the collapse and plans to perform an ultrasound test on the two intact towers to be sure they're structurally sound, she said.

The ride's manufacturer, S&S Power of Logan, Utah, sent engineers yesterday to help find the cause of the failure, said Rich Allen, the company's general manager.

“Obviously, there was a failure in the pipe structure, but I think it would be irresponsible for me, at this point in time, to theorize why this happened,” Mr. Allen said. “With all the rides we have in operation around the world, we've never had an accident or an issue, so when we received word that this happened, we were absolutely shocked and at a loss as to how it could have happened.”

Mr. Allen said a visual check of the two standing towers “found nothing, no cracks, nothing that would indicate that those two poles are in the same situation or could break.”

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VertiGo was built in the summer with three towers that form a triangle, with a carriage in the middle that seats six. The carriage, attached to the sides of the ride with steel cables, is launched 300 feet into the air at 50 mph.

With the help of the cables and compressed air, passengers descend to a gentle stop after the ride, which lasts about 10 seconds.

The ride is part of Cedar Point's Challenge Park, where a fee is charged for each ride.

Cedar Point officials notified the Ohio Department of Agriculture's division of amusement ride safety about the tower's fall on Monday, said Melanie Wilt, a department spokeswoman.

The division inspects and licenses all amusement rides in Ohio but investigates only incidents that result in serious injury or death, Ms. Wilt said.

In Cedar Point's case, she said, “We may visit to help them with their safety. But it's their responsibility to investigate and fix any problems.”

Ms. Wilt said the division inspected VertiGo, as required by state law, the day before it opened Aug. 11. The department's division of amusement ride safety inspects more than 2,000 rides each year in Ohio.

State law calls for the division to inspect all amusement rides at least twice a year, whether at permanent sites such as Cedar Point or mobile sites such as county fairs.

The first inspection is to be done before a ride is opened for the season. The second check is to be done about midway through the season, Ms. Wilt said.

Because VertiGo opened late in the summer, no second inspection was done, she said.

If the ride is repaired for use this summer, the division of amusement ride safety will inspect it before licensing it for operation, Ms. Wilt said.

Cedar Point inspects all of its rides every day before operating them, Ms. Witherow said. The park's last day of operation in 2001 was Oct. 29.

“Cedar Point goes over each and every one of our rides with a fine-tooth comb, not only when the park is open, but during the winter,” she said. “Safety always has been, and is, and always will be the first priority at Cedar Point. These are rides that we ourselves ride, and our families ride.”

Mr. Allen said S&S Power built two similar rides last year at the Knott's Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement parks in southern California.

Both rides have been shut down temporarily so they can be thoroughly inspected for flaws.

“Having looked at the towers there at Cedar Point, it's our opinion that the tower that fell is an isolated incident,” he said.

Tim O'Brien, an editor at Amusement Business, a trade publication, said the VertiGo tower collapse should have no long-term effect on Cedar Point's business.

“A lot more severe things than that have happened in parks,” he said. “Accidents and incidents don't necessarily keep people away from parks, especially a park that has the good safety record Cedar Point has.”

First Published January 16, 2002, 12:51 p.m.

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