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Japan’s Fuji-Q Highland Park is home to the fastest-accelerating rollercoaster in the world.
Too fast, apparently, because operations have been suspended after riders sustained broken backs and necks.
With some pink and white polka-dotted cars, the rollercoaster has a cute onomatopoeia-like name, Do-Dodonpa, but it is far from cute considering the bone-fracturing “super death” speed that it manages.
It has been reported that at least six riders had broken bones since December, according to the park’s operator, who spoke to VICE.
Of the six, four riders said they broke their neck or back.
Built in 2001, the ride goes from 0 to 180 kilometers (or 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.
In 2017, the ride was even modified to bring the top speed from 172 kilometers per hour to 180, but the park said there were no reports of serious injuries, including bone fractures, until December.
It can only be a result of the “super death” speed because Fuji-Q Highland confirmed that there were no technical issues found in the initial investigation.
Even the ride’s manufacturing company, Sansei Technologies, couldn’t put a finger on what exactly had caused such injuries, sending out an apology.
The ride’s acceleration is more than three times the force of gravity at its peak, which is comparable to the G-force experienced by astronauts during a rocket launch.
But still, a rollercoaster that can break bones is fairly unheard of, according to Naoya Miyasato, an architecture professor from Nihon University who studies rollercoaster designs:
“If they detected no serious concerns with the actual ride, then it could be the way people were sitting. But if a person was sitting incorrectly, say with space between their backs and their seat, it’s the responsibility of the park employees to check their seating position,” he said.
One of the riders who was injured said she may have been sitting forward during the ride.
If you are up for it, watch the Do-Dodonpa in action:
[source:vice]
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