Son of Beast

The Roller Coaster Corporation of America (RCCA) discussed the idea of building the world's first wooden hypercoaster with Kings Island in 1997. On May 11, 1999, the park held a public event within the park near a large, covered crate placed along a footpath. Construction The Roller Coaster Company of Ohio was officially recorded as the ride's designer, an affiliate and shell company of RCCA. The primary structural engineer was Wooden Structures Inc. of Georgia, while the lumber was manufactured by Universal Forest Products of Hamilton, Ohio. 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. 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. 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". Operation Son of Beast officially opened to the public on April 28, 2000. 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. The day after the ride opened, officials discovered defects in a section of track. Son of Beast closed soon afterward, undergoing three weeks of repairs. although heavy rains delayed the reopening by nearly six hours. The park ultimately had to make several design corrections during Son of Beast's inaugural year. 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. However, the ruling was overturned by an appeals court in 2008. The three original trains were designed by Premier Rides, each consisting of six cars for a total capacity of 36. Kings Island purchased two Gerstlauer-designed trains from the demolished Hurricane: Category 5 coaster at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion to serve as lighter replacements. 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. To help the lighter trains complete the circuit, the loop was removed in January 2007 and recycled for scrap. The park claimed that the changes helped make the ride more comfortable, Despite the loss of the vertical loop, the coaster continued to hold the record as tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world. 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. The coaster did not reopen for the 2009 season. 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. All signage, including the box at the entrance, was also removed. At the time, the ride had accommodated an estimated 7 million guests throughout its history. 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. 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." The coaster remained closed at the beginning of the 2012 season. 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. Demolition began that following September. 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. On November 20, 2012, one of the last remaining parts of the structure, the lift hill, was demolished. A new roller coaster called Banshee, which opened in April 2014, was constructed in its place. A tombstone with a plaque honoring Son of Beast was placed in a mockup graveyard near Banshee's line queue entrance. 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. 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. ==Layout==

After loading the train, riders left the station making a left-hand drop into a series of short hops before turning into the lift hill. At the crest of the lift hill, the track made a left-hand turn over to the first drop, where it dropped to the ground followed by a 70-degree banked turn to the right. Riders then descended down a second drop into a left-hand double helix. Coming out of the helix, the train passed through a mid-course brake run dropping into a straight section of track (where the vertical loop was prior to its removal after the 2006 season), before entering a right-hand double helix nestled into the structure of the lift hill and the turn to the first drop. After leaving the helix, trains crossed over a smaller hill, then made a three quarter right hand turn before diving under the previous drop and rising up into the final brake run. One cycle of the ride lasted about 2 minutes and 20 seconds. while the track piles were made of Douglas fir. and the ride itself covered . ==World records==

At the time of its introduction in 2000, Son of Beast was the only wooden roller coaster nationally ranked in the top 10 for track height, track length, drop height, and speed. It set several world records becoming the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world, as well as becoming the second longest following its predecessor, The Beast. In addition, when it opened, Son of Beast was the only wooden roller coaster to feature a vertical loop. The loop was removed prior to the 2007 season. Its records for height, speed, and drop length remain unbroken. The seven world records held at its introduction were: • Tallest wooden roller coaster • Longest wooden roller coaster drop • Longest looping roller coaster (2000–2006) • Most wooden coaster track at one park () • First and only wooden hypercoaster in the world (over high) ==Incidents==

From 2000 to 2009, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) recorded six incidents of injuries to guests riding Son of Beast, A third rider fractured vertebrae in 2003, and ODA officials were unable to determine if the injury was related to a preexisting medical condition. 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. 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. 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. The fifth lawsuit resulted in a ruling that required Kings Island to pay over $76,000 in compensatory damages. 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. A summary of the investigation was released on July 29, 2009, and it determined there were no irregularities found with the ride. The roller coaster remained closed following the report, and in 2012, the park revealed its decision to permanently close and dismantle Son of Beast. ==Rankings==