ride was closed for the remainder of the 2006 season while Kings Island replaced the Premier trains with lighter models. Two trains designed by Gerstlauer from the demolished Hurricane: Category 5 coaster at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion were purchased by Kings Island to serve as lighter replacements for the original Son of Beast trains. The lighter trains 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. Son of Beast reopened on July 4, 2007. 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 in which a woman reported that she had been severely injured after riding Son of Beast. Kings Island officials heard of the incident on June 16 and closed the ride within a week. 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. On March 15, 2010, the General Manager of Kings Island, 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. However, at the start of the 2010 Halloween Haunt season, Son of Beast's station was opened for a haunted house called Wolf Pack. The station is still standing and was used yearly to host Wolf Pack during the Halloween Haunt season until 2019. Another Kings Island spokesperson, Don Helbig, announced in 2011 that the ride would again be closed for the 2011 season and that the ride's future had not yet been decided. "No decision has been made concerning the ride's future," spokesman Don Helbig said. "It would be inappropriate to speculate on when a decision might be made. There's nothing else to talk about." Kings Island announced on April 24, 2012, that there were no plans to operate Son of Beast