Current:Home > InvestA roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it. -Global Capital Summit
A roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it.
View
Date:2025-04-12 04:38:46
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! (5)
Related
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Swirling federal investigations test New York City mayor’s ability to govern
- 150 cats rescued from hoarding home in Missouri after authorities conduct welfare check
- Noah Cyrus Channels Sister Miley Cyrus With Must-See New Look
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Canadian para surfer Victoria Feige fights to get her sport included in 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics
- You Have 1 Day To Get 50% Off the Viral Peter Thomas Roth Firmx Exfoliating Peeling Gel & More Ulta Deals
- 'The Bachelorette' boasted an empowered Asian American lead — then tore her down
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Utah woman killed her 3 children, herself in vehicle, officials say
Ranking
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- The Chiefs got lucky against the Ravens. They still look like champions.
- Students, here are top savings hacks as you head back to campus
- Father of Georgia high school shooting suspect charged with murder, child cruelty
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Half of Southern California home on sale for 'half a million' after being hit by pine tree
- Rumor Has It, Behr’s New 2025 Color of the Year Pairs Perfectly With These Home Decor Finds Under $50
- North Carolina state Rep. Kelly Alexander Jr. dies at 75
Recommendation
Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
Man charged with homicide in killing of gymnastics champion Kara Welsh
Nigerian brothers get 17 years for sextortion that led to Michigan teen's death
Detroit Lions host Los Angeles Rams in first Sunday Night Football game of 2024 NFL season
Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
Police have upped their use of Maine’s ‘yellow flag’ law since the state’s deadliest mass shooting
Cinnamon Toast Crunch collabs with Hormel's Black Label in sweet and salty bacon launch
Jessica Pegula comes back in wild three-setter to advance to US Open final