Is this the same thing that happened to Vertigo?

Not sure if the problems are related, but it seems like a pretty similar incident.

Source = Rideaccidents.com

(Sunday, August 10, 1998) - At Steel Pier Amusement Park in Atlantic City, New Jersey, four children were injured after an amusement ride tower collapsed onto the bumper car ride which they were riding. The 188-foot high steel structure was one of two towers which constituted Steel Fear, a ride which uses bungee chords to propel riders skyward. Although bungee rides have been banned in New Jersey, this type of ride, also known as the Slingshot, is known as an inverted accelerator bungee ride, which means that the bungee chords are stretched and released, propelling riders upward until they freefall back down and ultimately bounce in mid-air until the ride has stopped.

Two passengers were boarding the ride as the tower collapsed. They were not injured in the accident. An unoccupied Tilt-A-Whirl ride was also damaged in the crash.

A metallurgical engineer concluded that the welded metal of the carbon steel tower did not adhere to the metal forming the base of the tower. State investigators concurred with his finding.

More than 10,000 people had ridden Steel Fear since it first opened on Memorial Day weekend this year. The defect existed thoughout this entire time.

The park's general manager claimed that the ride had been inspected daily, and that some parts of the ride were inspected up to four times each day.

The ride was manufactured by Rides 'R Us of Seymour, Tennessee.

This type of ride is responsible for at least one other accident in which one of the bungee cords disengaged from one tower, sending the car crashing into the other tower. It is not known whether any serious injuries were sustained in that accident.

Here is a youtube video of the ride..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKmzqURNvdI&feature=related

One of VertiGo's towers fell over during the 2001-2002 off season due to vortex shedding. The wind matched the natural vibrations that the tower made and it eventually collapsed. The wind off of the lake and the freezing temperature didn't help the metal either.

Similar rides. Similar results. Different causes.

Interesting that bungee rides are banned in New Jersey.

I've read about a whole mess of these types of rides having problems, mostly with bungee cords snapping or detaching. They're on the short list of things I'll probably never ride.

The rides aren't similar at all. If you look behind the carriage of that ride, a bank of springs are tied to a system of cables that yank the carriage off its base (I don't remember if it's held by magnet or hook or whatever). The S&S rides worked on the same principle as the other air-powered rides. Flood a tube with air to push down a cylinder that yanks something up by the cables. And it was, by the way, not that exciting.

Doesn't or didn't Kings Island have one of these?

^ yes, it seems to be the same ride. The only slingshot ride I've ridden was at the Ohio State Fair and it was the kind that actually stretched bungee cords to the ground. I've heard that the cable/spring rides are safer and most reliable. (now-maybe not so much!) Steel Pier might have had a more portable version of the ride, while the towers at KI are permanently mounted. Of course it all depends on how and where the weakness was that caused the tower to collapse.

And Jeff is right, this ride and CP's Vertigo are not the same.

THIS IS NOT THE SAME RIDE AT ALL! You guys dont realise that vertigo is not a cage ride. and also you can do more in vertigo than this ride you are speaking of.

http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/thrillrides/vertigo/

I wasn't asking if it was the same ride expierience. I was asking if the rides had the same problem with the supports falling down. Was it the same "weakness".

No, the reason that this bungie ride collapsed wasn't the same reason of the collapse on VertiGo. This bungie ride collapsed because of poor construction. Vertigo collapsed because of vortex shedding.