MASON — Son of Beast, the world's tallest and fastest looping wooden roller coaster, was shut down last summer because of shoddy design and construction, a Paramount's Kings Island spokesman confirmed Wednesday.

        The amusement park giant on Wednesday sued the three companies involved in building the $15 million coaster in Warren County Court, claiming the design contained insufficient support structures and other de fects that required Paramount Parks Inc. to hire other workers to correct. Paramount has asked for unspecified damages.

        Kings Island officials said the roller coaster is safe.

Safety was said to be a priority during construction of Son of Beast. (Enquirer file photo) | ZOOM |

        Defendants named in the suit are Roller Coaster Co. of Ohio, which contracted to design and build the looping coaster; Wooden Structures Inc., a Georgia firm that was hired as the lead structural engineer; and Universal Forest Products of Hamilton, which provided the lumber.

        The complaint alleges that Universal Forest Products provided subgrade lumber for the project.

        David Mandt, a spokesman for Kings Island, refused to discuss specific allegations in the lawsuit.

        However, he said, delays in opening Son of Beast and an immediate shutdown following the April 28 debut were associated with the problems cited in the lawsuit. He said patron safety was not compromised.

        “We talked about a number of track adjustments, and those were the adjustments that were made during that time,” Mr. Mandt said Wednesday.

        At the time, park officials attributed the delay in opening to snowy weather that put construction behind schedule. They blamed a subsequent monthlong closure on a rough 15-foot section of track that needed repair.

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        “Safety is our No. 1 priority. We would not open an attraction unless we feel it's safe,” Mr. Mandt said

        That's Cindy Broderick's perspective, too. The 40-year-old Indian Hill woman and KI season-pass holder said Wednesday her daughter, Jenny, 13, rode Son of Beast this summer. Having worked at Kings Island as a teen in 1979 and 1980, Mrs. Broderick said, she saw first-hand the scrutiny for safety.

        “Whatever the glitches were, I feel if it's running, it's OK to ride it,” she said. “So, no, I have no serious reservations.”

        Kent Wellington, a Cincinnati lawyer who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Paramount, declined comment, as did a lawyer for Universal Lumber's parent company in Grand Rapids, Mich.

        Officials for Roller Coaster Co. and Wood Structures could not be reached after the Enquirer left messages at their businesses.

        Paramount's suit contends that the companies engaged in negligence, malpractice and breach of contract. That caused the amusement company to spend money for corrective work, to lose income because of delays in opening the ride, and to suffer damage to its business reputation, the complaint alleges.

        State records show that Son of Beast was inspected or reinspected seven times since April 27, when it was licensed to operate one train. A few minor problems were noted.

        But, Deborah Abbott, a spokeswoman for the Department of Agriculture, said state ride inspectors wouldn't necessarily know whether the structure was properly built or designed, because “we are not roller coaster engineers.”

        She said inspectors check the structural integrity of the ride but use the manufacturer's specifications as a guide.

        “We look at the welds, the wheel axle pins. We look for cracks,” Ms. Abbott said.

        Dennis Spiegel, president of International Theme Park Services, a local designer and builder of theme parks, said Roller Coaster Co. builds coasters all over the world and has a good reputation in the amusement industry.

        “It is not unusual for lawsuits to be done in conjunction with the introduction of a prototype or a new style of ride,” he said. “Son of Beast is a new ride.”

        Bill Linkenheimer, president of American Coaster Enthusiasts, a group that samples coasters throughout the nation, said he wasn't surprised by the lawsuit.

        “The ride is so unique, and such a prototype, the size and speed has exceeded by so far any other wood coasters,” the suburban Pittsburgh man said.

        Mr. Linkenheimer rode Son “a few dozen times.”

        “Anytime you have anything like that, it's inevitable that you have tweaks,” he said. “Given the problems that the ride had this year, (the lawsuit) doesn't surprise me.”

        Enquirer reporter Tom O'Neill contributed to this report.
       

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