Cedar Point Coaster Reopens Days After Parent Firm’s Fatal Crash
Millennium Force resumed service Saturday after a metal bracket fell into a guest area, following a fatal ejection at a sister park days earlier.
A metal bracket fell from a roller coaster car into a guest area at Cedar Point on Friday. By Saturday, the ride was running again. The turnaround came less than a week after a 42-year-old man was ejected from a different coaster owned by the same parent company and died.
Millennium Force resumed operations following maintenance inspections and safety checks, a Cedar Point spokesperson told local media. No guests or employees were struck when the bracket became dislodged, according to the park. No injuries were reported.
The quick return to service stands in contrast to the response at Six Flags Over Georgia, where Goliath remains closed following the death of Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem on Monday. Police say Kariem, an Atlanta school employee, was ejected from the ride and found beneath it.
Both parks operate under Six Flags Entertainment Corp., formed after Six Flags merged with Cedar Fair last year to become the largest amusement park operator in North America. That corporate tie triggered a wider shutdown. According to The Associated Press, 11 coasters across the U.S. and Canada sharing the same manufacturer and restraint design as Goliath were temporarily closed.
State records reviewed by AP showed Goliath passed its most recent annual inspection in March. Earlier inspections cited maintenance issues involving parts of the ride’s structure, but officials told AP those violations were corrected.
Cedar Point Park President Colleen Brady addressed the Georgia fatality last week. “We are deeply saddened by the recent incident at Six Flags Over Georgia,” Brady said. She noted that rides at the Sandusky, Ohio, park undergo daily, weekly, monthly and annual inspections.
Millennium Force opened in 2000 as the first giga-coaster, topping 300 feet with speeds up to 93 mph. It faced separate scrutiny earlier this year when riders reported they could no longer fit into the cars because of shortened seat belts. Cedar Point acknowledged the belts had been shortened and said they would eventually be replaced.
Falling hardware is not new to the park. In 2021, a metal piece detached from Top Thrill Dragster and struck Michigan resident Rachel Hawes in the head. Hawes sued, alleging she suffered a traumatic brain injury. The case was settled confidentially in 2024.
Shares of Six Flags Entertainment (FUN) closed down 5.15% at $8.11.
