Six Flags Coaster That Malfunctioned, Injuring 14, Has Gone Through Inspection, And It’s Not Good

Last month a malfunction on the El Toro roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure led to accidents to 14 folks, 5 requiring hospitalization. The fashionable coaster has been closed since then, pending an inspection. That inspection has now been concluded, and the coaster received’t be reopening anytime quickly, because it has been deemed “structurally compromised.”

According to NJ105, inspectors from the New Jersey state Department of Community Affairs have accomplished their take a look at El Toro and have discovered “a number of picket monitor assist columns in a piece of the coaster monitor” to have sustained important injury. 

The incident passed off on August 25 and was the second downside on the experience in simply over a 12 months. El Toro suffered a derailment in June 2021 that closed the experience for a number of months, so it had solely been open a short while earlier than the accident in August, although the coaster had undergone certification previous to reopening. There had been no reported accidents within the first incident. 

At this level it’s nonetheless unclear what brought about the injury to the coaster that’s making it unsafe, or if the 2 issues with the experience since final summer time are in any manner associated. An engineering assessment will now be undertaken to search out out the supply of the issue. RIde producer Intamin, who has additionally constructed fashionable rides just like the  Harry Potter coaster/dark ride Escape From Gringotts at Universal’s Islands of Adventure and California Screamin’ (now the Incredicoaster) at Disney California Adventure, is being consulted as a part of the investigation and assessment.

El Toro is taken into account one of many prime curler coasters on this planet. It was just lately named the quantity three picket curler coaster on this planet within the 2022 Golden Ticket Awards, regardless of not being operable. It was the tallest and quickest curler coaster within the U.S. when it first opened in and remains to be one of many tallest coasters on this planet at 19 tales tall.

Once the engineering assessment is full Six Flags will doubtless make a dedication on tips on how to proceed. If repairing the coaster is feasible, one assumes that’s what is going to occur. However, relying on the supply of the issue, it’s doable that repairs is perhaps too tough or value prohibitive to finish. We’ve seen that happen before with roller coasters. We need to imagine that closing the experience completely, and finally changing El Toro with one thing else, is a definite chance. 

The lack of El Toro will likely be an enormous hit for Six Flags Great Adventure as a result of the coaster was so fashionable, however actually no one desires the curler coaster to be even a bit unsafe. Thrill rides are supposed to offer the looks of hazard, not really be harmful. There’s no timeline for when the engineering assessment will likely be full.