Son of Beast Incident [Archive]

Wild 1

06-26-2009, 12:19 PM

I doubt it as it is still one of the parks most popular rides and so it would make no sense in ripping it out. Also combined with the cost of tearing it down and replaceing it I think it is going to be around for quite a while now.

CedarPointer

06-26-2009, 12:21 PM

But what would the cost be of a class-action lawsuit? Many people have been injured by that ride.

Wild 1

06-26-2009, 12:24 PM

I still doubt it, the cost may be high but as I said it is still bringing people from the GP coming in to ride it. Again combine its massive popularity with the cost to rip it out and replace it and it most likely will be staying. You know Cedar Fair's motto "If its not broken and still bringing people in keep it" oh and "You can never have enough trashcans"

CedarPointer

06-26-2009, 12:33 PM

The ride is almost 10 years old, I doubt there'd be a huge attendance drop if it was removed. There'd be a bigger drop if The Beast was removed. And, SoB IS broken. It's been broken since the day it opened.

simtanic8

06-26-2009, 12:57 PM

Wait... she waited almost 3 weeks to report the incicdent? Ususally whenthings happen like this, its the guests fault for not reading the sign. Hopefully she recovers soon, or is recovered...

-Simtanic8

SnooSnoo

06-26-2009, 01:03 PM

She is trying to lie about this just to get money.

CedarPointer

06-26-2009, 01:06 PM

Or, she got off thinking it was a migrane, went to park First Aid, got Advil, went to a doctor, he told her it was migranes, gave her medicine, it continued, then went back to the doctor and it was diagnosed as a burst blood vessel. It could easily take three weeks from her ride to her lawyers reporting it to the park.

SnooSnoo

06-26-2009, 01:27 PM

Well.. tbh.. no one is really missing Son of Beast anyway.

cpkidOH

06-26-2009, 03:47 PM

While I think it's quite possible that the ride was a factor in the injury, I don't think it's responsible for the majority of it. Other guests would probably have come forward with similar accusations if that was the case.

I never have gone on SoB even though I've been to KI around 14 times. I just haven't had any desire to, since I don't want to experience the pain the ride brings.

They should just tear it down. That area of the park has has lost its popularity and is starting to look bad. If they tore out SoB they could put in somthing that would draw people back there again, like a B&M invert.

CedarPointer

06-26-2009, 04:02 PM

I'm more interested on whether she had ridden Diamondback that day...

Greatdrift

06-26-2009, 09:37 PM

WTF!!!! That picture of SOB that they claimed to be the day when she rode it has the LOOP in it. they removed the loop a few years ago!!! WTF!!

ytivarg

06-26-2009, 10:13 PM

It's the media... that's just a stock photo. What do you want? They mentioned the loop being removed, if you bothered to read the story.

:noob: "WTF!!!!"

CedarPointer

06-27-2009, 11:55 AM

The loop isn't blaringly obvious in that pic, so I'd just assume that the site didn't notice. It's not like it's a Eiffel-Tower-though-the-loop picture.

ytivarg

06-27-2009, 01:20 PM

I'd assume it's just a stock photo, and that's how media outlets run.

randomperpie

06-27-2009, 01:33 PM

Take it out! Take it out! Take it out!

If I EVER go to King's Island, this is probably one of the only things I won't ride. It's probably one of the most unsafe coasters in the world, and this incident was just waiting to come along

kraken613

06-27-2009, 01:39 PM

Tear or BURN it down and build a GCI woodie!

CedarPointer

06-27-2009, 04:40 PM

The only seat I find worth riding it in is the blue train, 1-1, right side.

SnooSnoo

06-27-2009, 05:01 PM

Don't build a GCI.. they suck. GRAVITY GROUP!

CedarPointer

06-27-2009, 05:13 PM

Cedar Fair- Prowler clone kthx.

Myn-o-mite

06-27-2009, 05:43 PM

Don't build a GCI.. they suck. GRAVITY GROUP!
You are so right. I
If i ever go there I may ride it once, just to ride something else, even thougn it may be painful.

SnooSnoo

06-27-2009, 07:00 PM

^Have you been on a GCI?

iDelphi

06-27-2009, 07:04 PM

Oh ****. Ouch.... I hope that woman feels better.

CedarPointer

06-27-2009, 07:18 PM

The thing is, I have no problem that the injury was caused by the ride. I'm amazed the ride hasn't caused anything worse!

SnooSnoo

06-27-2009, 07:38 PM

^You musta missed that accident a few years back.. wasn't a big deal at all.. sent a few dozen people to the hospital.

Just a little thing.. no media attention at all.

::Ap0calyp$e::

06-28-2009, 05:52 PM

I'll be sol if they tear it down. I haven't even got to ride it yet! Everytime I try to ride I have to leave or it rains.

Harpo

06-29-2009, 11:58 AM

Cedar Fair- Prowler clone kthx.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just say NO to coaster cloning! Coaster cloning is an abomination! And besides that, it's just not creative!

There is a place for production-model coasters, primarily in small parks that cannot afford custom-designed rides. However, major parks should be able to design coasters for their environment rather than just plopping down copies.

Paramount and Six Flags are both guilty of this abomination of coaster cloning. Although there are similarities between some of the coasters Cedar Fair has built at various parks, with the exception of some of the very minor coasters (i.e. Woodstock's Express at Cedar Point) or older coasters (i.e. Wildcat), they tend to design for their park rather than being a clone. I VERY much want to see them continue with that pattern.

CedarPointer

06-29-2009, 12:54 PM

Worlds of Fun has a clone- Mamba (Steel Force).

And, I guess you could say Prowler is already a Beast.

SnooSnoo

06-29-2009, 01:49 PM

Patriot and Silver Bullet have nothing in common?

Harpo

06-29-2009, 02:03 PM

Worlds of Fun has a clone- Mamba (Steel Force).

And, I guess you could say Prowler is already a Beast.

Mamba and Steel Force are very similar, but they are not identical. As evidence, take a look at these pictures of the far turn:

Mamba:
http://cache.rcdb.com/pictures/picmax/p12357.jpg

Steel Force:
http://cache.rcdb.com/pictures/picmax/p5385.jpg

You will notice that Mamba's helix stays close to the ground for the entire turn.

Meanwhile, Steel Force's helix is at more of a tilt, and comes back over the top of the track.

As for Silver Bullet versus Patriot, they have different lengths, heights, drops, number of inversions, top speeds, durations, and elements. Other than that, they are almost identical. (Yeah, that last sentence is a bit sarcastic. Sorry about that.)

grrt

07-07-2009, 11:51 PM

Its not fair that this stuff keeps happening to the ride. Theres obviously places where it needs some changes, the loop was one of them, and now the park seriously needs to consider how they can keep in this ride. Something such as changing out some of those old rusty rails and changing some of that rotten wood in high stress areas. And reworking it out to reduce the stress and forces applied during the course of the ride. Yes this ride can basically suck at times, but when you consider that not many coasters put out that kind of force and weight on the structure, this ride really needs redesigned, not torn down.

Alpengeist

07-08-2009, 12:15 AM

Don't build a GCI.. they suck. GRAVITY GROUP!

Gravity Group coaster + CF = :eek:

SnooSnoo

07-08-2009, 01:22 AM

Well.. who knows.. it could be a GOOD coaster.. or it could be.. Son of Beast. :P

CedarPointer

07-08-2009, 03:15 PM

Has the de-SoBing of the park begun? The SoB shirts were on sale for $5 yesterday. They've been removed from all of the park gift shops. Also...

Thrill Rides-
Only Kings Island lets you challenge so many of the biggest, baddest, longest, fastest and best rides in the world. Scream on one of our incredible roller coasters, blast into the sky, spin, soar and plummet. New for 2009 is Diamondback – the tallest, fastest and meanest roller coaster to ever strike Kings Island! The legendary Beast celebrates its 30th anniversary of thrills. There’s also Son of Beast. Firehawk. Flight of Fear. Invertigo. Vortex. The thrills just never seem to end.

Thrill Rides-
Only Kings Island lets you challenge so many of the biggest, baddest, longest, fastest and best rides in the world. Scream on one of our incredible roller coasters, blast into the sky, spin, soar and plummet. New for 2009 is Diamondback – the tallest, fastest and meanest roller coaster to ever strike Kings Island! The legendary Beast celebrates its 30th anniversary of thrills. There’s also Firehawk. Flight of Fear. Invertigo. Vortex. The thrills just never seem to end.

SnooSnoo

07-08-2009, 08:58 PM

^BTW.. I don't use a MAC.

CedarPointer

07-08-2009, 09:53 PM

What?

SnooSnoo

07-08-2009, 09:56 PM

You kids these days.

Well.. by most accounts.. it would seem Son of Beast may be dead.

CedarPointer

07-08-2009, 10:18 PM

Some of the park map boards have the arrow pointing to Son of Beast (they have arrows pointing to major attractions) covered up and replaced with Flight Deck.

-LiLDaReDeViL5-

07-08-2009, 10:26 PM

Don't build a GCI.. they suck. GRAVITY GROUP!
:eek::down:

If it is true it's being removed, it looks like it's going to be a ***** to take down.

SnooSnoo

07-08-2009, 10:33 PM

^Fanboy.

Myn-o-mite

07-08-2009, 10:35 PM

They probably don't say it on there and have sales because it will be closed for a while.

CedarPointer

07-08-2009, 10:38 PM

They still sold shirts for it in 2006. Would CF want to lose nickels instead of just keeping the shirts for next year? None of them say "2009".

-LiLDaReDeViL5-

07-08-2009, 10:42 PM

^Fanboy.
Nah. GCI is one of my top three manufacturers. Haven't been on a GG yet, so I can't say how they are. But the GCI's I've experienced have been really good rides.

SnooSnoo

07-08-2009, 10:54 PM

^How many GCI's have you been on? :P

-LiLDaReDeViL5-

07-08-2009, 11:04 PM

^Three. Lightning Racer (Thunder and Lightning) and WIldcat, both at you know where. No, not just because I'm a "Hershey Fanboy", either. They're fantastic. I'm a woodie guy, personally, slightly over steel.

SnooSnoo

07-09-2009, 12:30 AM

Agreed.. hell I have 5 woodies in my Top 10.. but you need to be at more then Hershey to consider GCI any good. :)

I'm hoping Prowler and Evel Kinevel can change my mind tho.. but I've been quite disappointed so far.

godsmuffinman

07-09-2009, 12:49 AM

I rode EK and thought it was awesome. Since it's 'new' it was relatively smooth, but it was very speedy and twisty. Call me a 'fanboy', but I think it's the only GCI I've been on and I loved it.

grrt

07-09-2009, 12:52 AM

My all time favorite woodie is a GCI, Wildcat at Hershey, don't make me a fanboy.

SnooSnoo

07-09-2009, 02:40 AM

I was talking about him being a Hershey Park fanboy.. not a GCI fanboy..

Come on ladies.

-LiLDaReDeViL5-

07-09-2009, 11:43 AM

I was talking about him being a Hershey Park fanboy.. not a GCI fanboy..
Who? Me? Nah. Couldn't be. :p

Agreed.. hell I have 5 woodies in my Top 10.. but you need to be at more then Hershey to consider GCI any good. :)

I'm hoping Prowler and Evel Kinevel can change my mind tho.. but I've been quite disappointed so far.
Well, the three I've been on were outstanding, and they're all usually built similarly. I can't speak for the rest, but from what I hear, the general verdict is there are a few (mostly the newer ones) that are even better than the ones I've ridden.

Yeah, I prefer a wooden coaster too. I like steel, and the fact more can be done with it, but I've always been fascinated with the twists and turns and even the structures of wooden coasters.

Lookin' like I'll be at the Hersh Aug. 2-3rd. *****es. Feel free to hit me up if you'll be there.
Can't wait...Mmmhhh....Racer, Heit, Stormrunner. Sex.

CedarPointer

07-29-2009, 11:11 PM

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/son-of-beast-report-finds-no-irregularities-227073.html

Words can't describe how angry this makes me. Thanks for watching out for KI's guests, ODA. :rolleyes:

grrt

07-29-2009, 11:16 PM

I'm going there and I'm gonna miss this not being open. It just means longer lines for Diamondback.

CedarPointer

07-29-2009, 11:17 PM

You know, Don Helbig refusing to make a comment on when the ride reopen makes me think it might not be reopening. If the park was confident that SoB wasn't a problem, it would reopen tomorrow.

grrt

07-29-2009, 11:18 PM

Yeah thats the bad part. And it would mean no new rides for a while. Cause of the high costs of removal.

CedarPointer

07-29-2009, 11:23 PM

I mean, personally, I hate the ride. I would give the park soooooo much credit if they could make the ride smooth and enjoyable, but that's never going to happen. As long as it's open, people will continue to be injured on it.

grrt

07-29-2009, 11:26 PM

The ride sucked the first time I rode it with the loop and overweighted trains. But when they lightened up the trains and reinforced the track without the loop I loved it. I think that if they could somehow get a real professional to redesign it for them like they have to do on a lot of rides it could turn perfection. Its amazing what they do to some rides though, on a lot of rides the rough way is better, but Son Of Beast is overkill.

Magm&MForce24/7

07-31-2009, 05:52 PM

I don't know if they would close it. It's a pretty popular ride. I've had to wait over an hour for that ride on my last visit to kings island right before the "accident". I don't think they will take it out if they have done all this work to it. The ride is still #1 on my KI list( Including Diamondback ). And you would think that they would of had like 5 blood vessel brakes when it had the loop before as it was rougher.If the T-Shirts still say 2008 is probably because of the economy. Not a lot of ppl are buying stuff. That my opinion.
Thanks~Magm

CedarPointer

07-31-2009, 05:57 PM

If they were confident that SoB was safe, it would be open right now. It isn't.

Squid2

08-01-2009, 04:38 AM

Yeah thats the bad part. And it would mean no new rides for a while. Cause of the high costs of removal.

I don't know... a bottle of lighter fluid and a match are pretty cheap. :D

Seriously, from what everyone says, I think their best options are to either:

1. Redesign the ride and not worry about the world records for this coaster
2. Reopen the ride with Millenium Flyer trains
3. Tear it down and use that land for a new coaster
4. Remove the ride and make a new land in the space it occupies.

I think the worst thing they could do is reopen the ride without making any modifications. Again, this is all based on what I've heard from other people, as I've not ridden this coaster yet.

Squid2

silenthill7257

08-01-2009, 04:42 AM

did the son of beast crash or wat?

pcwfreak

08-01-2009, 07:41 AM

^ Read the news article in the first post. It's not that hard.

callmecosmo

08-10-2009, 06:20 PM

New article with an update about the Beast. Looks like this is it for the year.

Troubled Kings Island ride to stay idle
MASON -- Kings Island says it will keep the troubled Son of Beast roller coaster shut down for the remainder of the summer season. Don Helbig, a spokesman for the theme park in Mason, Ohio, said Monday that officials will decide the ride's future over the winter. The park closed the ride June 16 after a 39-year-old woman who rode the coaster reported she had been hospitalized with a burst blood vessel. Inspectors for the Ohio Department of Agriculture found no irregularities with the ride in a report July 29.
The ride has been idled six times in nine seasons. It was idle nearly a year for rebuilding and removal of a loop after 27 people were hurt in 2006.

© 2009 The Associated Press

SnooSnoo

08-10-2009, 08:43 PM

I rode it June 14th.

Win.

pcwfreak

08-10-2009, 08:45 PM

Well... if they can recycle it, Kings Island will have the most paper than any other park. :)

Maybe they'll do something like a Hercules/Hydra thing?

grrt

08-10-2009, 08:51 PM

They're definitely gonna change it, its too intense for most people. My first time I hated it, that was with the loop though. If they are gonna change it, they'll definitely shrink the helices and first drop.

BigLouie

08-11-2009, 12:09 AM

Well... if they can recycle it, Kings Island will have the most paper than any other park. :)

Maybe they'll do something like a Hercules/Hydra thing?
I think that would probably be a smart idea, KI needs a hydra or dominator type B&M. hopefully not a stand up though...

grrt

08-11-2009, 12:11 AM

Oh, hopefully not a boring stand-up. Unless its like Riddlers Revenge. Maybe. I think an invert would fit pretty well with the terrain in there. But you know Kings Island, always breaking records. Maybe it'll be something new.

SnooSnoo

08-11-2009, 02:05 PM

Yes.. a Stand Up.. lol

Rupeeman

08-11-2009, 02:45 PM

Magm&MForce24/7

08-11-2009, 02:58 PM

^ Agreed but i hope they don't replace it as i can't amagine KI with out it. I love looking at it in the parking lot it would just be hard without it

grrt

08-11-2009, 04:13 PM

An invert would be quite odd,since there`s a suspended coaster to the left.;)

Oh, right. :haha: Forgot about that old thing for a second. I could see that going at some point too.

JonAAAthunder

08-11-2009, 07:05 PM

I think they should replace it with a Gravity Group hybrid woodie like Hades or Voyage. Probably won't happen but that would be cool.

rct3parkmake

08-11-2009, 08:22 PM

hookyboysb

08-12-2009, 01:30 AM

Well, I hope that, if the ride leaves, that X-Base and Action Zone are fused to make X-Base it's own area. Action + SciFi = Good, unless, from what I hear, Cedar Fair does it. I think that it could really work, especially when I hear some people say they really wish they added some more flat rides to that sub-area of the park.
Cedar Fair actually themed Firehawk, and they did a pretty good job with it. Then again, government theming is pretty simplistic most of the time.