Skyhawk Cable Snap - July 26, 2014

^Thank you..I didn't want to gripe after already doing it earlier, but totally agree..

Park officials don't know that we push an E-stop unless we call them.
Or that is how it was at another Cedar Fairs park.

Ive had someone pass out in my line before due to heat exhaustion, and I had to pick up my phone and let someone know (phone automatically dials the first aid office)
Depending on where you are in the park, it could take a little bit for someone to show up.

And not sure if it was said about the e-stop, but all it does is kills the power to the ride.
The coasters I ran, we pushed the e-stop at the end of the day. Simply just kills all the power and releases the air from the lines so nothing will move.

I was told by maintenance that for rides like the swinging ships, to try and avoid estops. Yes it kills the power, but with a free swing ride, it won't stop right away. Depends on if the breaks are up, breaks are down, ect.

Scottyf said:
Was it ever determined if the fence was damaged by the swinging cable, or if it was simply taken down to let the ambulance/cart in?

If you look at the fencing on Skyhawk there is a large side that is able to open. So I would think the cable did the damage. The fence closest to the entrance is like a large double door.

Last pic that Dave posted yesterday shows that gate:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/26035820@N03/14784400613/in/set-72157645573813660

I was just gonna say...no need to take down the fence for access.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Media really horrible. Lots of outlets reporting that cable snapped which I'm pretty confident isn't what happened.

Thus article is the worst. Says the cable that broke was the same cable that broke last year. The source: anonymous reddit post.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/07/28/Recently-replaced-cables-...406546121/

The headline is "Recently replaced cables on Cedar Point ride snap, injuring two."

It doesn't say that. While the source is questionable, the quote does indicate that the external cables were replaced last year when the drive cable was replaced.

Aren't cables taken off every year as part of routine maint? I distinctly remember new cables installed in 2011 when I was there, thought it was a yearly deal.

Here are some pics of the injured rider:

https://www.facebook.com/roxanne.dreer/media_set?set=a.914629621896854&type=1

Those pics are amazing. It goes to show how fast social media can get info out there much faster and realistic than news sources. Personally for my self, I would not sue. I am not that type of person but would ask for a lifetime platinum pass to all Cedar Fair Parks as compensation after the cost of any medical expenses are covered. I once had a tire come off my car after a tire rotation at NTB not even a mile after I left. The explanation was the young tech who truthfully told me that he placed the tire up and was about to torque the bolts and someone asked a question and he got side tracked. That truthful answer ended up getting him fired and I felt bad for the kid. They were shocked that I did not sue and all I asked for the damage to the car be fixed and a replacement rim and a discount on future tires. Not everything needs to end in a lawsuit.

clevelander said:
I would not sue. I am not that type of person but would ask for a lifetime platinum pass to all Cedar Fair Parks as compensation after the cost of any medical expenses are covered. I once had a tire come off my car after a tire rotation at NTB not even a mile after I left. The explanation was the young tech who truthfully told me that he placed the tire up and was about to torque the bolts and someone asked a question and he got side tracked. That truthful answer ended up getting him fired and I felt bad for the kid. They were shocked that I did not sue and all I asked for the damage to the car be fixed and a replacement rim and a discount on future tires. Not everything needs to end in a lawsuit.

Glad there are others out there like this, I thought I was the only one.

There is a time and place for suing. this to me is not one of them. Suing to me is for someone who has neglect and causes something like this. It was a mechanical issue, it happens. Mechanical things break, it's just the way things are. Yes, unfortunate for those who were injured.

But I am certain medical bills will be taken care of. And Platinum season passes for life certainly would be a bonus!

Cedar Point will do what is right, I hope the inured will do the same. I also hope for a speedy recovery for the injured.

For me, I would attempt negotiations for a reasonable settlement before bringing a lawsuit. IMO the courts should be reserved for cases when both parties won't come to a mutual agreement.

Social media also got almost every fact wrong, and those pictures, while candid, are so poor they're effectively useless. So I'm not sure how this is a ringing endorsement of the usefulness of social media.

Dave's pictures were infinitely more informative, but they took a whole day to get posted, though I suppose that surpasses the average modern attention span by 23.5 hours, so they're not very useful?

I understand the desire to get information quickly, but often in the rush to be FIRST!!11!!!, not enough time is taken to get things right.

I don't know - seeing that poor girl's forehead is enough for this long-time Cedar Point fan and ex-ride op to think twice before stepping onto Skyhawk ever again. No thanks...

She does have a pretty good goose egg on her head.

Another update with some more details:

http://www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2014/07/skyhawk_riders_wi...rt_m-rpt-1

JuggaLotus said:
It doesn't say that. While the source is questionable, the quote does indicate that the external cables were replaced last year when the drive cable was replaced.

The title of the article is:

"Recently replaced cables on Cedar Point ride snap, injuring two."

It absolutely says that. The quote does not say anything about "external cables". The quote is from 2013:

"Posting as Reddit user Dresden127, the ride host -- whose identity was verified as part of a Reddit's "Ask Me Anything" user-interview series -- wrote in summer 2013 that "Skyhawk is down due to the state being a bunch of assholes."

"They required the cables to be taken off, for no good reason, and they snapped during the take down. We have to wait until the manufacturer builds specific cables for it, which could be late July/early August, or even December."

So some anonymous ride host who was violating his employment contract and who clearly wasn't working on Skyhawk, quoted from 2013, is the expert on an event that didn't occur until 2014? I went to reddit and read his entire thread - he wasn't a ride host on Skyhawk - he was a coaster ride host who only worked a single coaster for the entire summer.

That article is journalistic malpractice. If I were the PR/Marketing guy - I'd have the CP legal staff on the phone demanding a retraction/correction. The "reporter" in the UPI article is a joke.

^Which is the same thing that could have happened with the woman on Pointbuzz yesterday, thankfully it did not happen.

The girl was fine btw. No admission, no anything. Probably got C Spine, spine board for precautions, taken to hospital, performed a CT of the head/neck, was fine, sent home.

Edit: The Plain Dealer article..Oh the TERROR..wow. Clearly trying to sell the news..pathetic. Please don't ever report on military situations...Just..wow..

That PD article was written by that woman who was asking people for information to write a story.

From a problem solving stand point I would say fix the problem so it could never happen again (true north) if I had to put in place a countermeasure it would be several lanyards attached to the cable so it could not swing after it broke or came loose.