Woman injured by falling Ohio rollercoaster piece ‘fighting for her life’–
The woman was struck by an “L-shaped” piece of metal.
The following written content by Julia Musto
The family of a woman who was injured by a piece of falling metal at an Ohio amusement park says she is “fighting for her life” this week.
44-year-old Rachel Hawes, from Swartz Creek, Michigan, reportedly remains hospitalized in intensive care with a brain injury after an “L-shaped” metal bracket flew off the world’s second-tallest roller coaster as she waited in line.
In a statement provided to WOIO on Monday, the Hawes family said that they were “devastated” by the August 15 incident.
“We want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this time. Rachel is fighting for her life, and we would ask for privacy in this difficult time,” they wrote.
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It is not yet known what caused the mid-afternoon accident that Sunday at the Toledo-based Cedar Point’s 420-foot-tall Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster.
The Cedar Point website notes that the Top Thrill Dragster takes just 3.8 seconds to reach a speed of 120 miles per hour.
The piece of metal came from the back of the ride’s train and was approximately the size of a fist.
Ohio Department of Agriculture chief of amusement rides David Miran told reporters that the metal hovers above the track as it’s part of the sensor system that tells the coaster’s computer where the train is on the track.
Park officials said that the coaster train was nearing the end of its ride – slowing down when the metal plate broke.
It is also unclear how far the piece flew before hitting Hawes, who could be heard screaming on body-camera footage released by the Sandusky Police Department.
According to a police report obtained by Fox News, authorities received a radio call for an injured female at 4:30 p.m. ET and the responding officer aided Cedar Point officers and emergency service personnel worked to locate medical supplies.
Hawes was initially treated at Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky before being moved to a hospital in Toledo. Read more from Fox.
