9 Guests Break Bones Riding High-Speed Roller Coaster, Update Given

After years of incidents, the former fastest roller coaster in the world is officially closing down for good.

Safe though they may be, over the years, we’ve heard some pretty horrifying stories from the world’s most OTT roller coasters. Last year, Carowinds was forced to close its Fury 325 roller coaster after a guest noticed a large crack in one of its support beams, while Swedish theme park Gröna Lund experienced a deadly derailing on its Jetline coaster in June 2023.

One roller coaster has experienced more shocking incidents than others. Do-Dodonpa has hit the headlines on multiple occasions, with 18 injuries recorded on the steel coaster between December 2020 to August 2021 alone.

Of these 18 injuries, nine incidents involved guests breaking bones while riding the attraction. According to Sora-News 24, these were mostly neck or spine compression fractures sustained as a result of the ride’s intense G-forces.

Located at Japan’s Fuji-Q Highland theme park, the roller coaster has been subject to an investigation since December 2020. The ride has been out of action as of August 2021, and now it’s been reported that (unsurprisingly) the ride is officially closed for good.

“After extended discussions with the manufacturer, we have arrived at the conclusion that it would be [prohibitively] difficult to ensure safe operation that completely eliminates the risk of rider injury,” Fuji-G Highland said in a statement. “In order to fulfil our societal obligation as a theme park and make safety our top priority, we have made the decision to permanently cease operation of Do-Dodonpa.”

Like many high-speed roller coasters, Do-Dodonpa – which offers guests views of Mount Fuji while riding – utilizes a launch feature at the beginning, which appears to be the time when guests sustained their injuries. This launch reportedly subjects riders to about 3.75 Gs, similar to the Gs fighter pilots experience doing catapult launches from the deck of an aircraft carrier.

At the time of its opening in December 2001, Do-Dodonpa was the fastest roller coaster in the world, reaching high speeds of 180 km/h (110 mph). It may have lost that title to Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in 2005 (with Formula Rossa later snatching the title when it opened at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi in November 2010), but the attraction continued to hold a tied third place in the world rankings with Red Force at Ferrari Land until the time of its closure.

What’s the faster roller coaster you’ve ever experienced at a theme park? Let us know in the comments!