SANDUSKY, Ohio − A Cedar Point season-pass holder was diagnosed with a concussion after he said he was hit in the head Saturday by a loose iPhone while riding a roller coaster at the Ohio amusement park.
“I had blood dripping down my face, and I felt a bit dizzy,” David Carter, a paramedic in his 20s, told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Carter, who also wrote about his injury on social media, said the mobile phone flew out of a the pocket of a boy riding ahead of him on the Maverick roller coaster. The boy’s mother also lost her phone during the ride when fell into water below during the ride, he said.
Cedar Point confirmed Monday a guest riding Maverick was struck by a cell phone that fell out of another guest’s pocket during the ride. The guest, the park said, was treated by the first aid team and released, and did not request additional assistance.
In general, the park said loose items are required to be secured or left with a non-rider. Rides that do not allow any loose articles are Valravn, GateKeeper, Rougarou, Magnum XL-200, Steel Vengeance and Millennium Force. Most other roller coasters have storage bins for loose articles.
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Man diagnosed with concussion day after incident
Carter, who said he worked at Cedar Point about a decade ago and operated the Maverick ride, said he was disappointed by the Ohio amusement park’s response. He said on-site medics looked at his wound and cleaned up the blood at the park’s first aid department. He went to the hospital Sunday morning, where he was diagnosed with intermittent headaches and a concussion.
Cedar Point, he said, reimbursed him for his Fast Pass and offered him free meals for the rest of the day. However, he added, the incident took place at 6:35 p.m. and he did not leave the park’s first aid department until 8:30 p.m. Carter only received one free meal before the park closed for the day.
Cedar Point describes the Maverick as acting “more like a bucking bronco than a coaster.” It opened in 2007 and has twists, corkscrews, launches, tunnels, and “plenty of airtime.” It has a top speed of 70 mph and has a vertical, 95-degree drop.
Dragster injury, ongoing lawsuit
Carter’s injury follows a lawsuit filed in Erie County Common Pleas Courthouse in Ohio earlier this month by Rachel Hawes, of Swartz Creek, a then 44-year-old woman who was struck in the head in 2021 while waiting in line with her husband and father, who lives in Nebraska, to get on the 420-foot tall Top Thrill Dragster.
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The Dragster, which was one of the world’s tallest thrill rides, was shut down and retired.
However, Cedar Point confirmed to the Free Press it is still retooling the ride and expects it to reopen next year.
Hawes is alleging the park’s negligence caused the accident, which left her with a traumatic brain injury, skull fracture and other injuries and is seeking damages. The lawsuit claims that the part fell because there were loose bolts and the ride was not properly inspected.
Her medical expenses, so far, she said in the suit, are more than $2 million, and future care costs are expected to exceed more than $10 million. When she was injured, she was in graduate school, studying to become a teacher, but is now “permanently disabled” and will no longer be able to earn a living as an educator.
A state investigation concluded last year, however, found no evidence that Cedar Point acted illegally or had reason to believe the ride was unsafe, the Associated Press reported. The report also said there was no evidence the ride was unsafe before an object flew off it and struck a woman in the head.
Contact Nour Rahal: nrahal@freepress.com. Contact Frank Witsil: fwitsil@freepress.com.
