Water Ride Accident at Cedar Point – 911 Call

A boat on a thrill ride at Cedar Point, which bills itself as the best amusement park in the world, accidentally rolled backward down a hill and flipped over in water when the ride malfunctioned Friday, injuring all seven people on it.

Operators stopped the Shoot the Rapids water ride after the accident, which occurred on the ride’s first hill. Park police officers, medical technicians, ride operators and park visitors waded into the water and helped the passengers off the boat.

Cedar Point officials wouldn’t say how the boat landed after rolling downhill. But witnesses told the Sandusky Register newspaper the boat flipped on its side or upside down. Matthew Orr, of Euclid, was at the park and said people were belted into the boat and were trapped. “We jumped in and helped them get out,” he told the newspaper. “If we didn’t help, I don’t even know what would have happened.” In a 911 recording, the caller says she was on the ride when it capsized. “Some people are still in the water,” she tells the dispatcher.

Cedar Point officials said six of the seven boat passengers on the log flume were evaluated and treated at the park and then were released and the other was taken to a hospital for further evaluation before being released.

911 Call