Son of Beast

Construction

The Roller Coaster Company of Ohio was officially recorded as the ride's designer,[3] an affiliate and shell company of RCCA.[4] The primary structural engineer was Wooden Structures Inc. of Georgia, while the lumber was manufactured by Universal Forest Products of Hamilton, Ohio.[3] Problems plagued the ride from the beginning, and Paramount Parks – who owned and operated Kings Island at the time – made the decision to fire RCCA before construction was complete.[5]

On January 11, 2000, a portion of the ride was damaged due to a strong gust of wind. It was later revealed that the second hill had collapsed by itself. The wooden structure was being held in place by a temporary ribbon support system and had been constructed only a day earlier.[6] The ride was planned to open on April 14, 2000, but construction was halted due to rainy weather. As a result, the coaster's opening had to be delayed.[7] In addition, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Paramount $110,000 in February 2000 after discovering 18 safety violations during two inspections, including 11 that were deemed "serious".[8]

Operation

Son of Beast officially opened to the public on April 28, 2000.[9] The sign at the ride's entrance featured a large wooden crate covered with chains, rope, and metal straps, resembling the one on display during the public reveal in 1999. The front was ripped open with the name "Son of Beast" centered on the inside.[10]

The day after the ride opened, officials discovered defects in a 15 ft section of track.[11][12] Son of Beast closed soon afterward,[13] undergoing three weeks of repairs.[11][12] It reopened on May 26, 2000,[11][14] although heavy rains delayed the reopening by nearly six hours.[15] The park ultimately had to make several design corrections during Son of Beast's inaugural year.[5] Kings Island filed a lawsuit in November 2000 against the three companies involved in the design and manufacture of the roller coaster, claiming defects that delayed the initial opening and resulted in multiple closures.[3][16] In 2005, a federal court ruled that the Roller Coaster Company of Ohio's insurer, Admiral Insurance, had to pay Kings Island $20 million in damages in relation to the lawsuit.[17][18] However, the ruling was overturned by an appeals court in 2008.[18]

The ride experienced its first major incident on July 9, 2006, during which a train passed over a structural track failure that severely jolted riders. Son of Beast closed for the remainder of the 2006 season while repairs were made, and Kings Island decided to replace the original trains with lighter models.[19] The three original trains were designed by Premier Rides, each consisting of six cars for a total capacity of 36.[20] Kings Island purchased two Gerstlauer-designed trains from the demolished Hurricane: Category 5 coaster at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion to serve as lighter replacements.[21] The lighter trains were shorter, each consisting of six cars that held 24 riders, and were used to reduce the overall load on the wooden structure.[20][22][23]

To help the lighter trains complete the circuit, the loop was removed in January 2007 and recycled for scrap.[24][25] The park claimed that the changes helped make the ride more comfortable,[20][22] and Son of Beast eventually reopened on July 4, 2007.[23][26] Despite the loss of the vertical loop, the coaster continued to hold the record as tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world.[27]

Closure and demolition

Another major incident occurred in May 2009 involving a non-contact head injury, and Kings Island voluntarily closed the ride two weeks later on June 16 upon hearing feedback from the injured rider.[28] The coaster did not reopen for the 2009 season.[29][30] Kings Island officials received three proposals to repair Son of Beast, one of which they rejected outright. References to Son of Beast were removed from the park's website and map in early 2010.[31] All signage, including the box at the entrance, was also removed.[31][32] At the time, the ride had accommodated an estimated 7 million guests throughout its history.[33]

In March 2010, Kings Island's general manager, Greg Scheid, stated that the park had spent nearly $30 million on the ride to date and that it would not reopen for the 2010 season.[31][34] Another Kings Island spokesperson, Don Helbig, announced the following year that the ride would again be closed for the 2011 season, adding, "No decision has been made concerning the ride's future. It would be inappropriate to speculate on when a decision might be made. There's nothing else to talk about."[35] The coaster remained closed at the beginning of the 2012 season.[36]

By late July 2012, following a thorough evaluation of the roller coaster, Kings Island announced that Son of Beast would be removed from the park to make room for future expansion.[37][38] Demolition began that following September.[39][40] During the demolition of Son of Beast, Kings Island sold plaques with a piece of the ride's track for $99.99. Park officials offered pieces of the wood structure for $49.99 and structural bolts for $24.99.[41] On November 20, 2012, one of the last remaining parts of the structure, the lift hill, was demolished.[42]

A new roller coaster called Banshee, which opened in April 2014, was constructed in its place.[43] A tombstone with a plaque honoring Son of Beast was placed in a mockup graveyard near Banshee's line queue entrance.[44]

During Son of Beast's closure, its station was used for a haunted house attraction called Wolf Pack beginning in 2010. Even after the ride's demolition, the station was left behind and continued to be used for Wolf Pack until the attraction was retired in 2019.[45]

In 2018, Kings Island released posters that referenced Son of Beast's station, Outpost 5, leading some to speculate that a possible revival might be announced by the park. However, the rumors were never confirmed.[46]

Derailment in 2006

On the evening of July 9, 2006, a structural failure in the "Rose Bowl" section of the ride formed a "slight dip" in the track, resulting in a "pothole effect". Riders were severely jolted when a coaster train passed over the damaged area. The next train, still ascending the lift hill, was halted immediately after riders returning to the station reported the issue. A total of 27 riders were sent to the hospital, with many suffering head and neck injuries, and all but two were released the same day.[65] None of the injuries were life-threatening. An inspection the following day determined the accident was caused by cracked or split wood along the track layout.[66] Son of Beast was shut down for an extended period of time pending repairs and a full investigation by the State of Ohio. The state asked for extensive testing before the ride could reopen, which it eventually did for the 2007 season.[67][68]

Following the 2006 incident, the park opted to replace the original trains with lighter models before reopening the ride. The vertical loop was also removed during this time.[20] The injured riders filed five lawsuits, four of which were settled out of court.[69] The fifth lawsuit resulted in a ruling that required Kings Island to pay over $76,000 in compensatory damages.[69][30][70] Forensic investigator Rick Schmizze testified that Kings Island had known since 2000 that the ride had major issues with swaying, but that park officials had not done enough to fix the problem.[70] Kings Island settled the last lawsuit in 2011.[69]

Final incident in 2009

On June 16, 2009, a woman reported suffering a head injury while riding Son of Beast during her visit to the park on May 31, 2009. She did not initially report the incident to Kings Island officials. The injury involved a burst blood vessel in her brain, and she required admission to an intensive care unit at a nearby hospital. According to the park's public relations manager, Don Helbig, "The first we heard of this was on June 16. Her visit was on May 31, and there's no record of going to first aid for anything here at the park." Helbig also noted there were no other reports of injuries on the ride that season. Son of Beast was shut down as a precaution, however, during the investigation. Regarding the reopening of the ride, Helbig stated, "At this point, it would be inappropriate to speculate on an exact date when the ride may reopen. We're going to do a thorough maintenance review. We're going to work with the state of Ohio on that."[71]

A summary of the investigation was released on July 29, 2009, and it determined there were no irregularities found with the ride.[72][73] The roller coaster remained closed following the report,[74] and in 2012, the park revealed its decision to permanently close and dismantle Son of Beast.[38]