CINCINNATI (AP) - A malfunction on an amusement park ride Sunday sent at least 20 people to hospitals, most with minor chest and neck injuries, a sheriff's office dispatcher said. The accident happened on the Son of Beast roller coaster at Paramount's Kings Island just northeast of Cincinnati.
WCPO-TV reported that witnesses saw the roller coaster come to an abrupt stop.
Riders complained of discomfort after the coaster completed a circuit and pulled back into the boarding area, said Maureen Kaiser, a spokeswoman for the park. The park's emergency staff tended to the riders and notified authorities, Kaiser said.
Park officials shut down the ride and were examining it, Kaiser said.
The park's Web site describes the roller coaster as "the tallest, fastest and only looping wooden coaster on the planet" that hurtles down a 214-foot hill at more than 78 mph. The coaster, more than 7,000 feet long, features a 118-foot tall loop.
