Rollercoaster news: A woman was standing in the waiting line and was seriously injured when she was struck in the head by a metal bracket that flew off the Cedar Point "Top Thrill Dragster" is suing the park for negligence.

Hawes was waiting in line to ride the Top Thrill Dragster with her father when the metal plate dislodged from a train and struck her in the head.

The object was an "L-shaped" bracket roughly the size of a man's hand that had been attached to the back of a train car, state investigators said.

Bolts had secured the bracket in place, hovering just over the track as the train zoomed along. A series of sensors monitoring the coaster showed it reached 120 mph in 3.8 seconds and shot up the ride's 420-foot climb for a ride that lasted less than 20 seconds

During its descent, the bracket hit the coaster's track and came off, Miran said.

An investigation by the ODA found that half of the bolts that secured the bracket to the train body had also dislodged.

She suffered a traumatic brain injury, bleeding and brain swelling, according to the complaint. Hawes was also treated for a right-side open skull fracture with a cerebral laceration, contusions and loss of consciousness that exceeded 24 hours, according to the lawsuit.

She was rendered "permanently disabled," no longer able to reach potential earning capacity – more than $1.2 million, according to the suit. Her medical costs soared to more than $2 million. Future medical care and daily living assistance could cost an additional $10 million.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/07/13/ohio-woman-roller-coaster-injury-lawsuit/70410730007/