Current:Home > MyA roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it. -Keystone Wealth Vision
A roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it.
View
Date:2025-04-25 23:05:03
An amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina, closed one of its roller coasters Friday after a crack was found on a support beam.
Carowinds shut down Fury 325, which the park's website advertises as the "tallest, fastest, longest giga coaster in North America" that crosses into both North Carolina and South Carolina.
Video of the ride showed the crack in the beam as cars packed with riders whizzed by.
Park patron Jeremy Wagner told CBS Charlotte, N.C. affiliate WBTV he was the one who spotted the crack and took the video.
He said he was waiting for his kids to finish one last ride on the coaster when, "I look up and I see a light come through the pole."
When the next car came by, he pulled out his phone and videoed it.
Wagner told WBTV what he saw when he played it back sent a shock through his chest.
"When the car came by," he said, "I saw (the beam) move."
Posted by Jeremy Wagner on Friday, June 30, 2023
(Credit: Jeremy Wagner via Storyful)
He told The New York Times that as he was shooting the video, "My hands were shaking because I knew how quick this could be catastrophic."
Wagner told WBTV he immediately showed the video to park security to have them shut the ride but didn't get a clear answer on whether park officials would. But Wagner eventually called the fire department and learned that his video did indeed prompt the shutdown of the Fury.
"My heart was like relieved because I was just afraid ... are they gonna do the right thing? I just didn't want to see something bad happen," he remarked to WBTV.
"It takes one time, just one time" for tragedy to strike, he said.
Tiffany Collins Newton told CBS News that on June 24, she took a photo that appeared to show "the beginnings of the crack" on the roller coaster. She said she did not notice the crack until after the ride was closed on Friday and she zoomed in on her recent photos.
The park said in a statement that it shut the ride "after park personnel became aware of a crack at the top of a steel support pillar. The park's maintenance team is conducting a thorough inspection and the ride will remain closed until repairs have been completed. Safety is our top priority and we appreciate the patience and understanding of our valued guests during this process.
"As part of our comprehensive safety protocols," the statement continued, "all rides, including Fury 325, undergo daily inspections to ensure their proper functioning and structural integrity."
Fury 325 first opened to the public in 2015 and cost approximately $30 million to build, according to news reports.
Carowinds didn't say how long repairs would take. The rest of the park will remain open.
State officials said they were going to inspect the ride Monday.
veryGood! (1278)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Is Usha Vance’s Hindu identity an asset or a liability to the Trump-Vance campaign?
- 41,000 people were killed in US car crashes last year. What cities are the most dangerous?
- Race for Alaska’s lone US House seat narrows to final candidates
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- California lawmakers seek more time to consider energy proposals backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom
- One man dead, others burned after neighborhood campfire explodes
- Linda Deutsch, AP trial writer who had front row to courtroom history, dies at 80
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Hoping to return to national elite, USC defense, Miller Moss face first test against LSU
Ranking
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- Judge blocks Ohio law banning foreign nationals from donating to ballot campaigns
- Is Usha Vance’s Hindu identity an asset or a liability to the Trump-Vance campaign?
- 2024 fantasy football sleepers: Best value picks for latest ADP plays
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- Suspect, 15, arrested in shooting near Ohio high school that killed 1 teen, wounded 4
- Harris looks to Biden for a boost in Pennsylvania as the two are set to attend a Labor Day parade
- Real Housewives’ Tamra Judge Looks Unrecognizable as She Shows Results of Extreme Cosmetic Procedure
Recommendation
Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
Sephora Flash Sale: Get 50% Off Shay Mitchell’s Sunscreen, Kyle Richards’ Hair Treatment & More
AI may not steal many jobs after all. It may just make workers more efficient
Titanic expedition yields lost bronze statue, high-resolution photos and other discoveries
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
California lawmakers pass ambitious bills to atone for legacy of racism against Black residents
Venice Film Festival welcomes Pitt and Clooney, and their new film ‘Wolfs’
It Ends With Us’ Justin Baldoni Shares Moving Message to Domestic Abuse Survivors