Do-Dodonpa is a steel roller coaster located at Fuji-Q Highland in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. The launched coaster uses compressed air to propel its trains. It opened on 21 December 2001 as the fastest roller coaster in the world with the fastest acceleration, reaching a top speed of 172 km/h in 1.8 seconds. The fastest speed record was previously held by ‘Superman: The Escape’ and ‘Tower of Terror’, both of which accelerated to 160.9 km/h in 7 seconds.
The ride was refurbished in 2017, removing the top hat element in favor of a vertical loop and increasing its speed and acceleration to 180 km/h in 1.6 seconds. The Do-Dodonpa roller coaster was shut down in the month of August 2021 after several riders reported broken bones. Four people ranged in age from their 30s to 50s who rode the coaster between December 2020 and August 2021 reported suffered a fractured neck, chest, and also backbones.
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The only incident before 2020 December that raised concerns occurred on 15 May 2007, when a 37-year-old man sustained a minor injury after a plastic cover at the front of the train came loose and hit his right knee. An architecture professor who specializes in coaster designs told that the injuries could possibly be the outcome of rapid acceleration.
Sources: TikTok Murshid.
