The Magnum XL-200 roller coaster froze at the top of a 205-foot drop at the Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio last Tuesday. After the ride stopped, over one dozen people had to be evacuated. According to social media and local news reports, the reason for the malfunction was a mechanical issue.
A park spokesman said the incident was a “standard ride stoppage” triggered by a “check engine light” situation. The steel-framed ride couldn’t immediately be restarted, he said to Fox news. The pictures on social media show the park staff helping the passengers get off the ride on a pair of stairs with a handlebar, and all the passengers seem unharmed.
The Magnum XL-200 has had a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the world’s tallest roller coaster, debuting in 1989. It was one of the first to get to 200 feet, and more recently the park beat its own record with the 420-foot-tall Top Thrill Dragster, though this roller coaster was shut down after repeated issues. Cedar Point calls itself the roller coaster capital of the world. A video shared by the park shows that in the Magnum XL-200’s first drop you can see Lake Erie shoreline. “If it’s a clear day, you might be able to see the coast of Canada on the horizon,” Cedar Point claims on its website.
The ride was still closed as of Thursday, according to Facebook users in a public group dedicated to discussing the park. This incident is not the first at Cedar Point this year. Another ride in Cedar Point called the wild mouse shut down unexpectedly two times in May, according to a report from Akron Beacon Journal; everyone seemed unharmed.
A park spokesman said the incident was a “standard ride stoppage” triggered by a “check engine light” situation. The steel-framed ride couldn’t immediately be restarted, he said to Fox news. The pictures on social media show the park staff helping the passengers get off the ride on a pair of stairs with a handlebar, and all the passengers seem unharmed.
The Magnum XL-200 has had a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the world’s tallest roller coaster, debuting in 1989. It was one of the first to get to 200 feet, and more recently the park beat its own record with the 420-foot-tall Top Thrill Dragster, though this roller coaster was shut down after repeated issues. Cedar Point calls itself the roller coaster capital of the world. A video shared by the park shows that in the Magnum XL-200’s first drop you can see Lake Erie shoreline. “If it’s a clear day, you might be able to see the coast of Canada on the horizon,” Cedar Point claims on its website.
The ride was still closed as of Thursday, according to Facebook users in a public group dedicated to discussing the park. This incident is not the first at Cedar Point this year. Another ride in Cedar Point called the wild mouse shut down unexpectedly two times in May, according to a report from Akron Beacon Journal; everyone seemed unharmed.