I love roller coasters! That being said I have never been on the Son of Beast because the first year it was shut down at least 5 times during the season with problems. That did not bode well for me, so I waited. Then last season there was a bigger malfunction that sent people to the hospital, I knew I made the correct decision not to get on. Now that it has reopened without the loop, I hope that they have taken care of the issues it had in the past, but again I will wait and count the number of times it is shut down before getting on it.
The Son of Beast roller coaster, shut down since last July, reopened Wednesday without its signature loop after state inspectors certified that the ride was safe, a Kings Island spokesman said.
Drop Zone, which was idled last month after an accident on a similar ride in Louisville, also could be back on line soon, spokesman Craig Ross said.
Park patrons were allowed back on Son of Beast about 2 p.m., he said.
"I think everyone will be surprised. It's a better ride."
Park officials removed the loop from the wooden coaster - touted as the world's tallest and fastest - after a July 9, 2006, accident that sent 27 people to a hospital.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture required Kings Island to make some structural changes. The park also removed the loop so that lighter trains can be used.
Drop Zone remained closed. It was inspected a second time after an accident on a similar ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom in which the feet of a 13-year-old girl were severed when a cable snapped.
Kings Island's parent company, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., shut down Drop Zone and four similar rides at its parks across the nation because they were manufactured by the same company that made the Louisville ride.
Ross said Kings Island will reopen Drop Zone after installing a new part that the manufacturer suggested. The part is expected in a couple of days, he said.
"The upgrade is unrelated to what happened in Louisville," he said. "(Drop Zone) is safe and always has been."
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