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Son of Beast related injuries have been reported six times

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By Eric Schwartzberg, Staff Writer 12:22 AM Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Ohio Department of Agriculture, during its investigation of the Son of Beast roller coaster, was told by Jill Tavella of Mason that the ride became “bumpy and jerky.”

She said she told her son that “it felt like my brain was shaking.”

Tavella said she did not report the incident until more than two weeks after it occurred because her husband was out of town and she was taking care of her three children.

She told ODA she had not thought about reporting incident until talking with her husband when he returned.

On June 24, ODA inspectors traveled to Kings Island and inspected the coaster.

Park manager Doug Kramer provided documentation of the ride’s history and maintenance, a pre-opening log for the day of the incident, proof of operating training, proof of insurance and a roster of operators.

Safety division inspectors tested the coaster and interviewed ride operators as a part of their investigation.

Since Son of Beast opened in 2000, 65 incidents involving injury on amusement rides were reported statewide, according to ODA records.

Injuries related to Son of Beast were reported six times, more than any other Ohio ride, according to the ODA.

Of those six incidents, one in 2006 was determined to involve a design flaw — one that caused a wooden beam to crack from the weight of the riders and sent 27 to the hospital.

Prior to the ride reopening in 2007, Kings Island not only complied with ODA requirements, it also removed Son of Beast’s 118-foot loop. Park spokesman Don Helbig said eliminating the loop had nothing to do with the 2006 incident.

No evidence of malfunction with the ride was found stemming from injury incidents in 2001, 2003 and 2007.

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