SOB Accident at Kings Island

Appears that the accident occurred where the wood structure meets the wooden loop. I've always been fascinated by this component of the ride. I would love to see some mechanical drawings of this part of the ride. Just to see how its engineered...the whole connecting that metal to the wood track.. but thats probably just the nerdy architect in me

Greg Brady is on the board people! Haha I'm surprised you caught my post. Seems to have disappeared.Off topic much? nah just bored at work *** Edited 7/10/2006 3:42:40 PM UTC by DorneyDante***

Barry: I wish I could take credit for it, but I picked it up here. I have no idea who came up with it.

Looks like I rode it at a good time (last week of June). Of all of the coasters I have ridden, SOB was only one of two that I swore "I will never ride again" (the now defunct Steel Phantom being the other). Why? Intollerable roughness. It's the only coaster that I think I have ever come close to being sick on, and that was from the jolting. Even Hercules (defunct at Dorney) was more tolerable.

Why? A combination of Size and rolling stock? It's design is neat... but it's on such a large scale that it knocks the crap out of you. As for the loop... gimick... pure and simple. Does not add a thing to the ride. If it had a similar layout on a smaller scale,it might be something... but as it is, it's just too brutal.

Considering what CF did to Hercules at Dorney, and the possible reasoning (low ridership, roughness complaints, HIGH maintenance cost), I wonder how long it will be until SOB suffers the same fate now that CF is in charge? For that matter, low ridership and high maintenance for a wood coaster being a reason, how long until Beast gets the same "Hercules Treatment" as well?

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SLFAKE said:

As for the loop... gimick... pure and simple. Does not add a thing to the ride.

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Yes, it does add something to the ride...

The only pain free part of the ride!

My only ride on SOB I managed to dislocate and relocate my shoulder during the course of the ride. My shoulder was in extreme pains for months afterwards. I know I will never ride it again. If they tore it down, I would never miss it. If they didnt tear it down, well...I just would never ride it. Doesn't much matter to me.

Some of the replies in this topic make me sick. If the track did "slightly dislodge" then this ride does not need to open ever again. I worked at PKI, I know their maintainence department is good, but this ride has been a nightmare since the beginning. Seeing people "hunched over and in pain everytime you ride" is completely different than what happened on the ride. I have never been in serious pain after I rode SoB, I have probably ridden it a hundred times at least and have never had to leave the ride on a stretcher, need oxygen, and/or go to the hospital after riding. Some of the people on this board need to realise that you riding a ride is not the most important thing in the world, and that enough is enough. I will never ever think of riding this ride again, if it opens, and in my opinion I don't think it should. Also, the rides in Action Zone that could view the area are closed down to block viewing of what is going on, why the tower was not closed is beyond me. When Top Gun had it's incident before the park opened a few years ago, they did the same thing. Delirium's ride problems at the same time are just a chance I'm sure. That's the end of my rant, if you agree that's great, if you don't that's great too. Just rants of a former ride-op at the park.

If they tear it down, I think the wood should all be donated to Habit for Humanity. Put the material to good use.

Dante, the humanitarian

^Not a bad idea, if it weren't for the fact you can't use treated wood to make a house. However, you could build several hundred decks with it.

it looks like I'll never get to ride it now.

Glad no one died. *** Edited 7/10/2006 4:42:20 PM UTC by FLYINGSCOOTER***

I love how the one article states that PKI sued the manufacturers because the ride was "structurally unsound"...yet they continue to run the ride...and now we hear of a "track dislodging"? Especially in the loop area...I say just tear the f****r down! If it causes this much pain and injuries, the ride should not exist.

COASTERQUEEN said:

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I say the Cedar Fair and Paramount peeps have a nice bonfire at the end of the season. ;) I would be right there with the smores!

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Ooh! I've been craving smores! I'll be there too! I have the same thoughts about Mean Streak at CP.

What a shame that this happened. I have to say that I don't care how shakey a ride is, if it's painful, it's not worth riding. Coasters are supposed to be fun, not painful!

I've ridden SOB two times, each time during different visits to the park. The first time, I felt that I didn't need to ride it again. When I rode it a second time, the next year, I was reminded why I didn't like the ride. So you won't be catching me riding that ever again. In fact, I have no desire to go back to the park. There are better parks in the area to spend my money at. :)

*** Edited 7/10/2006 4:48:59 PM UTC by coasterlover325***

I think SOB will be fixed and reopened, just like Wild Thing reopened after it's problem this year. While CF may give SOB the Hercules treatment at some point, I'm sure that you will be able to ride SOB again this year.

On a related, unrelated note, how bad is Cedar Fair's luck? They have outright owned and controlled the park for 9 days, then this happens.

I suppose the opposite is true. How lucky is Paramount-CBS? They won't have to deal with the lawsuits. *** Edited 7/10/2006 4:58:00 PM UTC by SVLFever***

^ I'm reminded of the Chaos incident which happened just weeks after CF obtained Michigan's Adventure.

As for SOB, I brushed off all the "painful" remarks before I rode it the first time, primarily because I always loved Mean Streak's roughness. I figured one just has to know how to ride it.

Unfortunately, I came off my first ride swearing I wouldn't ride it again. And then I did ride it again, thinking it needed a second chance. From my 2004 Beastbuzz Trip report:

SOB is pretty much what I was saying after I got off, though. It was likely the worst ride I've ever had on a coaster, not just rough, but totally brutal. I unless there are some major changes, I doubt I'll ever ride it again.

And you better believe I avoided it during Beastbuzz 2005.

Atlhough it's had it's problems, I would hate to see it simply torn down. There must be some way of refurbishing SOB.

haha, thats what I said about Hercules. Unlikely story

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SVLFever said:
On a related, unrelated note, how bad is Cedar Fair's luck? They have outright owned and controlled the park for 9 days, then this happens.

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Not to mention the incident on Volcano. Ouch!

I'm in the "I'm never riding it again" camp. I have ridden it three times, and they have actually been relatively pain-free. (All three times I rode in the middle seat of the car.) It was rough, but not overly brutal. My biggest complaint has always been that it...well...bores me. I hate to say that about the biggest wooden coaster in the world, but the layout just does nothing for me at all. Half of the ride is spent in the two giant helices, and to me, it's just uninteresting. What makes it worse is what could be the greatest helix ever is on the other side of the park. Sorry, but I'll stick with Papa.

- Aaron K

The ride's problems are great, but it can be improved. For example, the trains they use now feel like they have square wheels, just like the trains on the Villan. I believe that a new set of trains could help the ride, but the fact is that the SOB will always be rough like the mean streak now matter how much work you do on the ride.

You just have to face the fact that the SOB is a rough ride, and will always be. And to those who doen't like it, then don't ride it, but it still is just like any other coaster, fun and enjoyablly rough. *** Edited 7/10/2006 5:59:48 PM UTC by Cedar Point Junkie 2007***

Actually, Aaron's opinon is the only one (besides my own of course) that I can appreciate. I can see how the coaster could be boring.

However, I'm very long-legged and while I found the cars to be "cramped", I did *not* find the coaster to be the least bit rough. I can name several coasters (Villian, HP-Wildcat, PREADATOR, Riverside-Cyclone, The Legend) that were *tons* more violent than Sonny. Even my sister, who pretty much thinks all woodies are "too rough" didnt have any extra complaint about Sonny...and yes, we rode over the wheels..towards the back even.

Now if the coaster is simply built wrong (i.e. out of spec) then do what you have to. But I really dont understand all the "rough" and "pain" comments as my experience was totally different. Hell, I felt more shaking and shimmying from Papa than Sonny.

But, what the hell, I liked Hercules too!
lata, jeremy

I have a physical copy of today's CINCINNATI ENQUIRER in my hands and the "above the fold" headline (top of the page) is actually pretty big for this paper:

"RIDERS HURT ON SON OF BEAST:

Sub-head: "Dozens go to hospitals after jolt along the track."

The phrase "jump the track" is used no less than two times by different people that were interviewed for the article. This whole thing has got to be a PR NIGHTMARE for poor Maureen.

I also found it alarming that this was already in the article itself:

"They said a park worker told them the metal loop had become slightly dislodged from the wooden part of the track. Officials could not confirm this."

Lots of paragraphs devoted to clearing the park, carrying people off on stretchers, people bleeding from their mouths and body parts. . .

If they are talking about the METAL WOODEN LOOP coming undone, which is, of course, the CENTERPIECE of this ride, this has got to be a FIRST. I have never ever heard of a LOOP of any kind coming dislodged from the ride itself, have any of you???

If this is true, I am going on record right now as offering this: I don't think SOB will re-open for the rest of the summer, if ever.

It sounds plausable because of the transition from wooden to steel structure. Something came loose, perhaps.

New update: cracked wood.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/07/09/kings_island_ax.html

And cracked and splintered wood would not be something that a daily walk-on-the-track inspection would not notice?

Yikes! Negligence lawsuit in its formative stages. . .