Current:Home > NewsA roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it. -EliteFunds
A roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it.
View
Date:2025-04-15 12:44:32
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! (3682)
Related
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Alaska man inadvertently filmed own drowning with GoPro helmet camera — his body is still missing
- NFL suspends Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike indefinitely for gambling on games
- Global Wildfire Activity to Surge in Coming Years
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- The Carbon Cost of California’s Most Prolific Oil Fields
- Save 44% on the It Cosmetics Waterproof, Blendable, Long-Lasting Eyeshadow Sticks
- Silicon Valley Bank's three fatal flaws
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Inside Ariana Madix's 38th Birthday With Boyfriend Daniel Wai & Her Vanderpump Rules Family
Ranking
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Silicon Valley Bank's fall shows how tech can push a financial panic into hyperdrive
- It's Equal Pay Day. The gender pay gap has hardly budged in 20 years. What gives?
- Inside the emerald mines that make Colombia a global giant of the green gem
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Global Wildfire Activity to Surge in Coming Years
- Kylie Jenner Legally Changes Name of Her and Travis Scott's Son to Aire Webster
- Illinois to become first state to end use of cash bail
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Two Years After a Huge Refinery Fire in Philadelphia, a New Day Has Come for its Long-Suffering Neighbors
South Korean court overturns impeachment of government minister ousted over deadly crowd crush
Battered and Flooded by Increasingly Severe Weather, Kentucky and Tennessee Have a Big Difference in Forecasting
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
US Forest Service burn started wildfire that nearly reached Los Alamos, New Mexico, agency says
How the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank affected one startup
A Federal Judge’s Rejection of a Huge Alaska Oil Drilling Project is the Latest Reversal of Trump Policy