World's Fastest-Accelerating Coaster Closed; Riders Keep Breaking Their Bones

[left-of-center2012]

They broke their backs and necks riding the roller coaster in Japan, which goes at what it calls “super death” speed.

The fastest-accelerating roller coaster in the world has been suspended until further notice, after multiple customers reported broken bones from the ride. Since December, at least six riders sustained bone fractures after riding “Do-Dodonpa,” a roller coaster that goes at “super death” speed in the country’s popular Fuji-Q Highland Park, the park’s operator said. Four of them said they broke their neck or back, a spokesperson for the park told VICE World News.

The incidents, alerted to authorities on Aug. 17, are baffling officials. Built in 2001, the ride goes from 0 to 112 miles per hour in 1.56 seconds, making it the fastest-accelerating roller coaster in the world. But the park said it was the first time riders broke their bones on the ride since it went into operation two decades ago ... there were no reports of serious injuries, including bone fractures, until December.

No technical issues were found upon initial investigation, according to Fuji-Q Highland. The ride’s manufacturing company, Sansei Technologies said it didn’t know what caused the injuries. Although the Japanese government hasn’t found the reason for these injuries, Naoya Miyasato, an architecture professor from Nihon University, said it could likely be an issue with the roller coaster’s rapid acceleration. At its peak, the ride’s acceleration is more than three times the force of gravity—that’s comparable to the G-force experienced by astronauts during a rocket launch.

Statistics from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions show that
the likelihood of being seriously injured on a roller coaster in a U.S. amusement park is about one in 15.5 million rides.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/akg8mk/japan-quickest-roller-coaster-fuji-q?utm_source=email&utm_medium=editorial&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=210823&utm_term=daily_automation_interestomation_interest

[Orrex]

1. I like how it's framed as the "riders broke their bones"

Rather than, you know, "our high-speed death-machine broke their bones."

[Goonch]

2. ;-{)

[tanyev]

3. Oh lordy, I don't even like a baby rollercoaster for little kids.

Just looking at that picture makes my hands sweat.

[PoliticAverse]

10. Yeah.... NO! n/t

[Polybius]

17. Wow!

That's insane.

[Mad_Machine76]

4. Super death speeds

More like "breakneck" speeds.

[PoliticAverse]

9. Rare opportunity to use that word literally. n/t

[Mad_Machine76]

12. IKR?

[VGNonly]

5. The Top Fuel Dragster

at Cedar Point OH has a somewhat similar layout. About a week ago, a woman was struck by a metal piece from it. She sustained a serious injury. The ride is now closed for the season.

[keithbvadu2]

11. Relatively slow

Three point eight….that’s 3.8… seconds. That is all it takes to go from a complete standstill to 120 miles per hour.

https://www.cedarpoint.com/rides-experiences/top-thrill-dragster

45 minutes in line for that 17 second ride... and worth it!

[VGNonly]

16. Cedar Point

I worked there two seasons back in the 70's. The work itself sucked, but the social life was great.

[Shermann]

6. Reminds me of "The Devastator" Mr. Show sketch

[ProfessorGAC]

7. This Is Odd

0-112mph in 1.56 seconds is only around 105 ft/sec^2. That's only 3.3G for a second and a half.
That doesn't seem like enough Newtons to break bones.

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. That's the average over the one and a half seconds

If that's from an initial acceleration of zero, the peak must be more. And the 'jerk' can also have a bearing on what it does to the body, since that affects what the muscles are braced against: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerk_%28physics%29#Physiological_effects_and_human_perception

The article says the ride has been going for 20 years, and the problems have only just appeared. It suggests that people may not have been sitting right against the seats.

[ProfessorGAC]

19. Acceleration Is A Constant

Your site gives examples where that's not so, and makes sense.
But, in a coaster, gravity & friction are constants. So, where does the vector come from to create a jerk.
And, the jerk is what causes any peak.
Otherwise, the average is the peak. A g force is a direct function of gravity, and that never changes.
So, absent some extrinsic influence, the average g force and the peak are the same thing in a free fall.

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. Yes, because the acceleration is above 1g, we know there's an external force

apart from gravity, that is increasing the speed. This cannot be just free fall. They do something to accelerate it faster, and if they were to apply that so quickly that you could then say the acceleration is as good as 3.3g for 1.5 seconds, then the jerk would be huge, and that could explain the injuries. Or they apply it more gradually, and the peak is higher.

it's a compressed air launch.

[roamer65]

8. Anyone with osteopenia or osteoporosis should stay away from it.

This would be an issue of force and how much your bones can handle.

[leftyladyfrommo]

13. I hate normal roller-coasters. That one looks awful. nt

[area51]

14. Yikes.

[roamer65]

15. I rode The HULK at Universal Orlando.

That was my last coaster ride ever.

My stomach go so upset it took 2 hours and a Perrier to calm it down.