Japanese goverment officials have ordered the Do-Dodonpa roller coaster near Mt Fuji in Japan to cease operations after four reports of riders breaking their backs or necks on it.
From The Mainichi:
The roller coaster ride was renovated in 2017, and has proved popular. It accelerates to 180 kilometers per hour in 1.56 seconds over a distance of 69 meters from the starting point. The structure reaches 49 meters from the ground, and its loop's diameter of 39.7 meters makes it among the world's largest.
Fuji-Q Highland says the physical burden on riders is high, and issues them warnings including to sit in the proper position. A woman in her 30s who rode the roller coaster in December 2020 reported injury, but she also said she "might have been leaning forward during the ride." No issue was found with the machinery, and because no connection between it and the injury could be confirmed, the park did not report the case to the prefectural government.
