Kings Island’s Son of Beast roller coaster will remain closed this spring

When it opened 10 years ago, Son of Beast was the world’s tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster. Today, it has an infamous reputation for causing injury and requiring costly repairs.

Kings Island has poured a reported $30 million into Son of Beast, but the theme park’s General Manager Greg Scheid says the wooden coaster will not be operating when the park opens for the season on April 17.

In July 2006, 28 people were injured on Son of Beast when a car on the coaster hit a “bump” caused by a broken wooden timber. The accident led to a yearlong closure of the ride, and renovations that included lighter ride trains and the removal of the coaster’s famous inverted loop.

Then last June, Son of Beast was closed yet again, after a woman told the state she suffered a head injury while riding. A Cincinnati Enquirer report last summer showed that since the wooden coaster opened in 2000, it has had more injury investigations than any other ride in the state of Ohio.

“We have smoothed out the ride. Most people will say they enjoy the ride right now. I am not comfortable with the ride,” Scheid told the Business Courier of Cincinnati.

Scheid says the massive Son of Beast may reopen someday, but he was not specific about what improvements would need to be made before it rolls again.%Gallery-14657%

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