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.”
